Parents must be on the first line of defense of their children to ensure they are kept safe from using the Internet, considering the bad actors that also lurk in it, the Department of Justice (DOJ) reminded.
“Everything starts at home,” said Justice Undersecretary Nicolas Felix Ty, during an interview on PTV’s Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon aired on Thursday, Feb. 15.
Ty, the undersecretary-in-charge of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), expressed hopes that parents are aware of their responsibilities amid the dangers of the Internet.
“There are many dangers against our children there,” he said. “Sometimes we can’t see these things and we think it is so innocent but it may happen.”
Ty lamented, on the other hand, that there are also instances where the parents themselves subject their children to online sexual abuse and exploitation.
“I hope parents should stop this kind of practice and become more aware not to do this,” Ty said.
“Apart from being a criminal offense, its effect is bad for the children,” he added.
Ty assured that the government relentlessly exerts efforts to fight online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC). He noted that a lot of parents had been jailed for this crime.
The DOJ official then expressed gratitude to foreign governments which have been part of the Philippines’ efforts in fighting OSAEC.
“Because of this coordination with foreign law enforcement we have been able to rescue many children and [bring] to justice perpetrators of the crime,” he said, explaining that OSAEC is a cross-border crime.