Sharing of knowledge and practices: visit of Moldovan and Serbian colleagues at Internet Hotline
Between the 2nd and 4th of October, Internet Hotline hosted the colleagues of the Moldovan and Serbian hotlines. The Moldovan colleague’s participation was funded by INHOPE under the Peer-to-Peer exchange programme. The analyst of the Serbian hotline joined the study trip through self-funding. The primary aim of the programme was to give colleagues an insight into the operation and analytical practice of the NMHH’s Internet Hotline, but the meeting also meant a common reflection, sharing of knowledge and practices for all participants.
Analysts from the Moldovan hotline, called International Center “La Strada” and the Serbian hotline, called, Centre for Missing and Exploited Children took part in the three-day programme in Hungary. The staff of Internet Hotline (IH) has been working closely with the Moldovan hotline for several years, as they mentored the hotline as a “buddy hotline” at the request of INHOPE during its initial phase of operation. INHOPE is the international association against online child sexual abuse, of which all three hotlines are members. IH joined the association in 2012. The Peer-to-Peer exchange programme is designed to strengthen the links between hotlines and to give newly established hotlines with less experience or those that want to learn and develop the opportunity to learn from other hotlines.
The first day of the visit was dedicated to mutual introductions, presenting the activities of Moldovan and Serbian organisations and the Internet Hotline. Colleagues were also able to get more in-depth into IH workflows: IH presented its report-handling practices and supporting IT solutions. An important part of the meeting was a detailed presentation of the services and standards that ensure the mental well-being of analysts.
On the second day of the visit, the foreign colleagues had the opportunity to learn about the work of IH’s main domestic partner, the Rapid Response and Special Police Service National Bureau of Investigation (NNI)’s Cybercrime Department. Two members of the department gave presentations on their investigative work and their close cooperation with IH. During the day, a presentation was also given by a senior research fellow of the Criminal Unit of the National Institute of Criminology, who spoke about the development, changes and topicality of the criminal law aspects of child pornography.
On the last day of the visit, our guests visited the Magic Valley media literacy education centre operated by NMHH, where the team leader showed the guests around and introduced the concept and operation of the centre to the foreign analysts. During the visit, the guests were also given a taste of the programme in practice with a group of secondary school students who were in the centre. Both the Moldovan and the Serbian colleagues were impressed by this visit. This was followed by a presentation on digital services legislation by a legal expert from the Online Platforms Department.
Both the guests and IH colleagues were satisfied by the results of the programme. Not only the representatives of the guest hotlines gained knowledge, but IH staff also learned a lot from their experiences and were inspired by their practices. We are proud that our Moldovan and Serbian colleagues decided to visit IH, and we thank them for their trust.