Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern has today unveiled a booklet that offers advice on dealing with cyberbullying.
The Get With IT! A guide to cyberbullyingbooklet is intended to increase awareness of bullying carried out using the internet, mobile phone or other technological devices. The booklet provides advice on how to identify, prevent, and respond to cyberbullying.
Speaking today, Mr Ahern said: “Technology opens up a world of opportunities for young people, but it also presents hazards. Cyberbullying is a particularly nasty consequence of technological development.
“It is an insidious form of bullying. Cyberbullying can happen any time and any place and for many children and young people, home is no longer a safe haven from bullying. Bullying via the new technologies can potentially continue invisible to all but the victim and the perpetrator.
The booklet is available directly from the Office for Internet Safety (OIS) through the freefone number 1800 242595 and on www.internetsafety.ie. It will also be circulated in the education system, through the National Centre for Technology in Education, and through O2 stores.
The National Centre for Technology in Education and the children’s charity Barnardos produced the booklet’s content, the Expert Review Group convened by the OIS reviewed the content, and mobile phone company O2 sponsored the printing costs.
The Minister has recently approved the membership of the Internet Safety Advisory Council, which will advise the OIS. The council is drawn from representatives in the statutory, industry and community sectors.
The OIS, an executive office of the Department of Justice, was set up by the Government to work toward internet safety in the State. The National Centre for Technology in Education is a Government agency that provides advice and support on the use of information and communications technology in education.
