At the beginning of 2006, the Partners Bulgaria Foundation in partnership with the British Embassy in Bulgaria and the State Agency for Child Protection launched the campaign “Child in the Web” with nationwide activities for the prevention of child abuse on the internet. The Bulgarian project is a replica of the successful 2004 campaign of the Polish Nobody’s Children Foundation. The Polish organisation granted the campaign copyrights to its Bulgarian partner Partners Bulgaria Foundation.

The campaign was set up in 2004 by the Polish advertising agency VA Strategic Communications on behalf of Nobody’s Children Foundation. The campaign TV spot “You never know who is on the other side” was broadcasted in 3 national and 9 cable TV stations in Bulgaria for the period of one month.

Furthermore, during a two month-period billboards were displayed in 5 Bulgarian cities – Sofia, Burgas, Varna, Plovdin and Pleven. Posters were put up in metro wagons and at public transport stations.

With the beginning of the new school year in September, posters with campaign messages were printed and distributed to Bulgarian schools. Schools and internet cafés also received leaflets with rules of safer internet use.

Using the methodology proposed by Nobody’s Children Foundation, the Bulgarian counterparts conducted a survey among children from 12 to 17, parents, teachers and internet café staff to explore awareness of internet threats and children’s online behaviour.

The results of this survey were disseminated during a press-conference attended among others by the Bulgarian Education Vice Minister, representatives of the Head Directorate for the Fight against Organised Crime, the Vice Chancellor of the British Embassy, the director of the State Agency for Child Protection and various media representatives.

Daniela Kolarova, Director, Partners Bulgaria Foundation
Agnieszka Wrzesien, Nobody’s Children Foundation