COUNCIL : UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN’S EMERGENCY FUND [UNICEF]

TOPIC : ENCOURAGING YOUTH PARTICIPATION IN TACKLING CYBER BULLYING

COUNTRY : THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

“The Youth is the hope of our future.”

-Jose Rizal-
Topic Background:

In today’s world, where technology has become more prevalent, it has also given birth to a new age problem
called cyber bullying which has become a new born threat to children all around the world. Cyber bullying is
a form of digital harassment by the intentional use of technology. According to a recent survey conducted by
UNICEF, over 70 percent of young people globally are victims of cyber bullying and other online
harassments.1 This survey illustrates the seriousness of Cyber bullying as an international issue and
therefore we put forth to encourage youth participation in tackling cyber bullying.

Country’s Position:

Ireland has signed the UN Convention on the rights of children and ratified it in 1992. 2 Previously, the
UNICEF Ireland and the Irish government together have taken many initiatives like Youth Parliament of
Ireland- Comhairle na nÓg in 2002, first Ombudsman for Children in 2004 and Children’s Referendum in
2012 which empowers the children better enabled to participate in Irish society. The Irish government has
enacted laws and policies which invest in the betterment of children and youth.

The consecutive governments of Ireland has introduced and implemented many significant regulations and
laws for online issues. But, tackling cyber bullying requires the involvement of various organisations, groups
and especially youths to ensure that the goals of the government are met. Therefore, our country’s strategy
is a coordinated approach. It includes:

1. Action Plan for Online Safety: This project aims to create a framework for achieving the most effective and
achievable actions to improve online safety for everyone in Ireland.3
2. Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill: To create a regulatory framework to address the harmful effects of
digital content.4

Possible Solutions:

The Republic of Ireland strongly believes that, addressing cyber bullying is necessary to achieve the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (ensuring that all children have equal access to
quality education and opportunities for lifelong learning) and SDG 16 (promoting peaceful and inclusive
societies).5

1
https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/safer-internet-day-unicef-calls-concerted-action-prevent-bullying-and-harassment
2
IrelandUNconvention.pdf
3
ActionPlanForOnlineSafety.pdf
4
OnlineSafetyAndMediaRegulationBill.pdf
5
SDGs_Booklet_Web_En.pdf
 We deduce that cyber bullying is an issue which needs more attention globally. Therefore, Ireland would like
to propose the following recommendations as we believe that educating students and raising awareness on
the issues of cyber-bullying would definitely empower youths to tackle this international issue.

1. To take appropriate social awareness and educational measures to protect the children and youth from all
forms of abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
2. To promote and invest in education, which is a lifelong process that includes the learning of tolerance and
ensuring respect for all societies.
3. To establish national helplines for children and young people.
4. To involve youth in the development of initiatives to prevent and address cyber bullying, including available
support services, safe accessibility , and to inform them of available mental and physical health-care services
and procedures in place to support them.
5. To adopt appropriate measures, such as plans of action on the prevention of and response to cyber bullying,
and to ensure that children and young people are informed about existing public policies to secure their
protection.

Conclusion:

Hence, we urge all the member nations to collaborate and share national experiences and best practices in
involving youth participation for preventing and tackling cyber bullying. This will also help in achieving the
related sustainable development goals.

Reference:

 https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/safer-internet-day-unicef-calls-concerted-action-prevent-bullying-
and-harassment
 IrelandUNconvention.pdf
 ActionPlanForOnlineSafety.pdf
 OnlineSafetyAndMediaRegulationBill.pdf
 SDGs_Booklet_Web_En.pdf