[REVISION HISTORY]

Youth violence and digital aggression in the Balkans

Updated 3 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-01 14:40 UTC → 2026-09-28 14:51 UTC · added ~~removed~~

In North Macedonia, Minister of Education and Science Vesna Janevska reported that while peer violence in schools has remained stable at approximately 50 cases per year, there is a “concerning increase in the brutality of certain incidents.” To address this, the Ministry is implementing legislative changes to include well-being and anti-discrimination activities in school programs. New legal amendments are also being processed to introduce fines for parents or guardians of children involved in violence or those who refuse to cooperate with school services. Preventive efforts include developing a cyberbullying handbook with UNICEF and Telekom, a peer violence handbook with Makpetrol, and working with the SEGA Youth Organization Coalition to establish national standards for safe schools. Building on these efforts, Makedonski Telekom and the Ministry of Education and Science have launched a national campaign titled ‘Break the Circle of Violence. Do Not Be an Audience.’ This initiative specifically targets the role of bystanders—those who film, comment on, or share violent content—to prevent the unintentional amplification of aggression. The Ministry is also working to establish national standards for violence-free schools through teacher and student community training. In Skopje, the campaign hosted the first ‘Parental Meeting Without Grades’ to discuss creating environments free from mockery and hate. The event involved the ‘Net bez hejt’ (Net Without Hate) youth movement, a partnership between the Telekom Foundation for Macedonia and UNICEF. Upcoming mobile caravans will travel to various cities, providing parents with access to psychologists to encourage open communication with their children. Regional discussions in Albania and North Macedonia have highlighted the impact of digital aggression. In Albania, ~~community meetings emphasized how online insults, threats, and unauthorized media sharing fuel bullying. A~~ a UNICEF study ~~there~~ indicated one in five young people has experienced online harassment, with 85% of children rarely or never discussing such abuse with parents. In North Macedonia, officials including President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova have emphasized the need for proactive prevention and safe school environments. A new report, ‘Disrupting Harm’, revealed that approximately 1 in 10 children aged 12 to 17 in North Macedonia—roughly 12,000 children—were exposed to technology-facilitated sexual exploitation and abuse within a single year. In 78 percent of these cases, the perpetrator was known to the child. More than half of these incidents involved social media, while roughly 30 percent occurred on online gaming platforms. Affected children face an 11-fold increase in the likelihood of self-harm and a 12-fold increase in suicidal ideation. UNICEF representative Lesley Miller emphasized the urgent need for stronger prevention systems and stricter laws, noting that only about 1 percent of cases are officially denounced. harassment.

Versions

Only revisions since CLSTR began indexing content versions appear here. Select a version to see what changed compared to the one before it.