Guwahati, Jul 18 (PTI) Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi on Monday stressed the importance of young people protecting themselves in online spaces and understanding their rights.He lauded the efforts of different agencies, including UNICEF, for making the youngsters aware of the dangers in cyberspace and how to report to the authorities about cyberbullying.The governor was speaking at the launch of U-Report for Suraksha campaign, an interactive digital tool that aims to increase awareness among young people on cyberbullying and corporal punishment, and the redressal mechanisms, a UNICEF release said.Once a U-Reporter has followed @UReportIndia on Twitter or liked U-Report India Facebook Page, quizzes and alerts are sent via direct message, and responses are collected in real-time on this site.Results and ideas are shared with the community of young people and policymakers.So far, U-Report India has covered issues including health, education, water, sanitation and hygiene, youth unemployment, HIV/AIDS, and disease outbreaks.The Assam governor urged young people to join U-Report, take the quiz, pledge to spread awareness, and report against any type of violence and abuse.“I will direct all vice-chancellors to inform students about U-Report and ask them to participate. Similarly, I encourage all volunteers of the National Service Scheme (NSS), Bharat Scouts and Guides, and National Cadet Corps to join this endeavour,” Mukhi said.The governor appreciated the effort of UNICEF, NSS, Assam State Commissioner for Protection of Child Rights (ASCPCR), and WAY Foundation for their work towards ensuring redressal of issues being faced by young people in Assam.He directed UNICEF to provide him with a report on the outcome of the U-Report.Deepak Kumar, Regional Director, NSS NE, said, “We asked volunteers about the impact of COVID-19 in their lives and they voiced concerns over cyberbullying and being subject to corporal punishment, and not knowing what to do about it.” He said it has been targeted to reach 45,000 NSS volunteers through U-Report.Madhulika Jonathan, Chief of UNICEF Assam, said, “With U-Report, we aim to reach out to young people of Assam to inform them and learn about their experiences. This will help us understand the extent of the problem in the state and present it to those in power to frame informed policies and programmes.” There are various forms of violence against children taking place everywhere, but reporting of such cases or surveys of such incidents is low, Guwahati Police Commissioner Harmeet Singh said.Stressing the role of media in creating awareness about key social developmental issues, Samudra Gupta Kashyap, State Information Commissioner, urged everyone to take this tool to the youth of the state so that a change can be brought about.UNICEF will share the outcome of the U-Report with the ASCPCR to strengthen their public awareness campaign, ‘Suraksha’. The outcome will also be shared with the Assam Police, the Department of Social Justice, the Government of Assam, and civil society.A Youth Agenda will be developed on basis of the outcome of the U-Report, which will be presented to the political leadership, the release added. PTI SSG MM MM