#StopOnlineChildAbuse: Globe marks Safer Internet Day with webinar on online child safety and protection

Globe is gathering key stakeholders and multi-sectoral partners this month in a webinar that seeks to boost awareness and push for sustained action towards the protection of children against online sexual abuse and exploitation.

Marking the annual Safer Internet Day, Globe is hosting the #MakeITSafePH Webinar on February 8 at 10 a.m., as it reaffirms commitment to the advocacy for online child safety.

The learning session will be streamed on the Globe Bridging Communities Facebook page. It seeks to put a spotlight on Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) in the Philippines, and ways by which the public can support the fight.

“As a digital solutions group we look for ways to combat OSAEC through partnerships, instituting technical solutions and working with the relevant stakeholders.  Ultimately, we aim to keep our kids safe when they spend time online,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe Chief Sustainability Officer and SVP for Corporate Communications.

To lend expertise at the webinar is UNICEF, which champions child’s rights and protection and leads the implementation of the SaferKidsPH platform. UNICEF will discuss the OSAEC landscape in the Philippines and why child protection is a collective responsibility.

The Internet Watch Foundation will talk about the global impact of OSAEC, while CitizenWatch Philippines and Bantay Konsyumer, Kalsada, Kuryente (BK3) will give a perspective on how digital citizens are affected by the issue.

According to a study led by the US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), in collaboration with the Philippine government entitled “Online Sexual Exploitation of Children in the Philippines: Analysis and Recommendations for Governments, Industry and Civil Society,” action against online sexual exploitation of children is urgent, as the Philippines is among the world’s top producers of content rooted in this form of abuse.

Multiple studies have shown that a number of families use their children as a source of income through OSAEC, especially with the onset of the pandemic, where many people lost their jobs.

Globe supports government initiatives to fight online sexual abuse and exploitation of children and continues to invest in public education on digital citizenship and responsibility such as the Digital Thumbprint Program.  It has also partnered with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) to bolster the fight against OSAEC, and the Canadian Center for Child Protection to further identify illegal websites and block them out of its network.

The #MakeITSafePH campaign also provides practical tips and easy-to-digest information about cybersecurity and safety.  It promotes online vigilance to help Filipinos defend themselves against online hacking, identity theft, and other cybercrimes.

Globe strongly supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly UN SDG No. 9 which highlights the roles of infrastructure and innovation as crucial drivers of economic growth and development, and UN SDG 17 which emphasizes the value of partnerships in achieving the sustainable development goals. Globe is committed to upholding the United Nations Global Compact principles and contributing to 10 UN SDGs.

To learn more about Globe, visit www.globe.com.ph.