Ministers and Experts Hold Round Table on Youth Radicalisation

Bratislava, 8 April (TASR) - An inter-ministerial group dedicated to children's mental health is drawing up legislation aimed at preventing the radicalisation of young people and protecting children in the online space, Health Minister Kamil Sasko, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok and Education Minister Tomas Drucker (all Voice-SD) announced following a round-table discussion held on Wednesday with experts and local government representatives. Sutaj Estok said that the radicalisation of young people is taking place primarily online, while the fact that it's not detected in time is the greatest failure. "That's why we've gathered here within such a broad group - uniting representatives of the state, local government, experts, the church and families into a single system. Today, we discussed the preparation of legislation as the first step," he said. According to him, a system of cooperation between the state, local governments, experts and families needs to be set up; in the next phase, the focus will be on protecting children by setting rules for social networks, online services and access to harmful content. Drucker pointed to the current lack of cooperation between individual components of the system, stressing that legal obstacles, such as data-sharing restrictions, make it difficult to identify problems in time. The legislation should, therefore, support an integrated approach by removing such administrative and legal obstacles while complying with EU's GDPR standards and constitutional principles. Sasko noted that this was the third round table on the mental health of children and youth, this time specifically targeting radicalisation. He announced that concrete solutions will be presented in early June. "On 4 June, together with Children's Commissioner Jozef Miklosko, we will discuss very specific solutions at the Hran mental health hospital," stated Sasko. In addition to Miklosko, the round table was also attended by Banska Bystrica region governor Ondrej Lunter, director of IPcko civil association Marek Madro and other experts. jrg