Most young people in Serbia believe that companies can help their development more, according to a survey conducted by UNICEF.
A survey of young people’s attitudes about the impact of the business sector on children and youth in Serbia was presented today at the Serbian Chamber of Commerce (SCC) on the occasion of UNICEF’s 75th anniversary in Serbia, with the intention of promoting business principles that respect children’s and youth’s rights.
Director of the Sector for Strategic Analysis, Services and Internationalization of PKS, Mihajlo Vesović, said that business systems in Serbia have improved the relationship with children and youth.
He pointed out that PKS and UNICEF have a long-term cooperation, and this year they are trying to expand it with the goal of as many companies as possible accepting children’s rights as their basic principles, in order to help the weaker and create a good business climate.
UNICEF Deputy Director in Serbia Josi Echeveri said that the partnership between UNICEF and PKS is important for raising the awareness of the economic and social public about the importance of respecting the rights of children and youth.
“It is important to support children’s rights in small and large businesses. UNICEF supports such rights in many spheres of business, it is not only financial support but also raising awareness of how much it means for young people to be supported in their work,” she added.
UNICEF representative in Serbia Marko Mitrović said that the research showed that almost half of the respondents think that companies do not take care of children and youth, while a third think that companies do it partially.
He stated that the young people who were surveyed believe that companies provide decent working conditions for parents and young people, and that they care much less about nature protection, support for children’s and youth rights.
“The research showed that 47 percent of young people think that companies can help their development path, while as many as 38 percent think that companies can partially help,” Mitrovic said.
He added that 60% of the respondents see the provision of internships, mentoring and opportunities for volunteering as an appropriate way to help companies with young people.
More than 1,000 young people and 74 companies, mostly from trade and processing, participated in the research.
Businessmen most often stated that they should invest in children because of the improvement of the local community, and a smaller percentage of them said that it should be done because they are family members of employees and because it is useful for the future.
From 2019 to 2021, companies invested the most in the donation of medical equipment, sports and recreation and education, and the least in the protection of children from violence, the mental health of adolescents and the advocacy of children’s rights.
Most respondents believe that children are most vulnerable to digital violence and that there seems to be little to protect them from it, Danas reports.
