ABSTRACT VIEW
PREVENTING ONLINE SEXUAL HARASSMENT: ADAPTING EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS FOR HIGH SCHOOLS
T. Ramljak1, R. Matković2, L. Vejmelka3
1 Center for missing and exploited children Croatia (CROATIA)
2 Public Health Institute of Split Dalmatia County (CROATIA)
3 University of Zagreb, Faculty of Law, Department of Social Work (CROATIA)
Online sexual harassment is present and widespread among Croatian high school students. Almost all students are exposed to online sexual harassment, which contributes to the normalization of such behavior, and almost every second student has experienced or harasses others online. Some of these behaviors, such as blackmail, are legally prohibited, and often, unknown Internet users are involved in students' online sexual experiences. Since high school students would rarely turn to adults for help or report online sexual harassment in such a situation and often feel shame and guilt if they are victims of online sexual harassment, the need for preventive work with high school students has arisen. The aim of this paper is to present the adaptation of online sexual harassment prevention workshops to the school environment. The workshops systematically address the topic of online sexual harassment through 4 basic approaches: building trust, defining online sexual harassment, the process of (non)blaming the victim, and ultimately reporting mechanisms. The workshops were piloted during a summer camp and each lasts 1.5 hours. In a school setting, workshops can only be held within a 45-minute class period. For this reason, the workshops were adapted to maintain the form of introductory, central and final activities. Due to the sensitivity of the topic and previous research results, the workshops were conducted by student volunteers, who were previously educated and had professional assistance during the implementation. The workshops were conducted in two classes, and before the implementation, the first measurement point of the evaluation research was conducted, and two classes of the control group were also selected where the first measurement point of the evaluation research was also conducted. This paper will present the results of the evaluation research at two measurement points in the experimental and control groups, and the implications for a more successful implementation of workshops in a school setting, where there are often limitations in time, staff, availability of space, etc. It is also very important to reach children through the school environment, because in this way we reach all students, which is especially important for students who do not come from supportive families or whose parents do not have adequate parenting competencies. These findings can serve as guidelines in the future work of all experts working with children.

Note:
The workshops are currently underway, so it was not possible to present the results of the evaluation survey. The final version of the summary will include the main findings, as we expect the second measurement point to be completed by April 1, 2025.

Keywords: Online, sexual harassment, workshops, school environment, high school.

Event: EDULEARN25
Session: Student Wellbeing (1)
Session time: Monday, 30th of June from 11:00 to 12:15
Session type: ORAL