Children and youths are spending significantly more time online now that school and all other activities have been suspended due to the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Since the ECQ started last March 15, the majority of Filipinos have been confined to their homes, leaving children, youths, and adults alike with limited things to do.
The SaferKidsPH (SKPH) Consortium, recognizes that while online platforms provide critical socializing, learning, and playing environments for children, it also increases their exposure to online harm such as cyberbullying, risky online behavior, and online sexual abuse and exploitation (OSAEC).
The consortium is composed of Save the Children Philippines, The Asia Foundation, led by UNICEF, and supported by the Australian Government.
Another direct effect of the ECQ is the heightened economic vulnerability of many Filipino families whose heads of households have limited access to resources.
Taken together, loss of income, movement restrictions for children, isolation, heightened exposure to online platforms, and high levels of stress and anxiety will increase the likelihood of children to experience online violence.
Examples of OSAEC that can be experienced by children during the ECQ include online sexual grooming; live streaming; and creation, production, and distribution of child sexual abuse and exploitation materials by pedophiles and predators.
“Even in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, the Philippine National Police-Women and Children Protection Center continues to be aggressive in its fight against online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC),” PNP-WCPC Chief Brig. Gen. Alessandro Abella said.
Abella added that during the ongoing ECQ, they continue to receive and monitor online sexual abuse and exploitation of children-related reports.
In celebration of Safer Internet Month this year, SKPH initiated a consultation workshop with children and youths from February 21 to 23 in Manila that provided a foundation to the ASEAN Regional Conference on Child Online Protection last February 25 to 27 in Thailand.
During the workshop, children-participants called on “barangay” officials or community leaders to conduct seminars, workshops, and/or trainings on how to responsibly use the internet; internet service providers to filter inappropriate content and limit children’s social media access; and the Philippine Government to implement more strictly existing policies and legislation and to allot more resources on child online protection.
Given the heightened risks of online harms, SKPH continues to work with government, civil society, and private sector partners to ensure all children are safe online.
Child protection services and workers are continuously being sensitized on the nuances of online violence, and they called on the Government to adequately resource and equip these systems so they can better and respond sooner to the most vulnerable of children.
These services should include mental health and psychosocial support, case management, and emergency alternative care arrangements, noting that children in OSAEC cases are more often victimized by people known to and trusted by them in their homes.
National helplines, school counselors, and other child-friendly reporting mechanisms must be made available to enable children in distress to reach out for help.
Online resources, such as that of www.saferkidsph.com, must be available to children, parents, and caregivers to help guide and advise them to adapt to the challenges of COVID-19, and how to protect their children online.
“It is only in the coming together of all these actors and institutions, from both the public and private sector, that this call can succeed in keeping children safe during these troubling times,” the group said.
Starting April 15, through the support of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, National Telecommunications Commission, Smart Communications and Globe Telecom will be sending out a public service advisory SMS blast to all their consumers subscribers.
This would be inviting children, parents, and community members of the communities to visit online platforms of unicef.ph and saferkidsph.org Philippines and UNICEF for more information on how to protect children and adolescents from violence, both online and offline.
The following hotlines are also available to report OSAEC:
- PNP Aleng Pulis – +63 919 777 7377
- Action Against Human Trafficking – 1343 within Metro Manila; (02) 1343 outside Metro Manila
- Bantay Bata – 163
- UP-PGH COVID-19 Bayanihan Operations Center – 155 200 or https://publicservice.up.edu.ph/uppgh-bayanihan-na.
The group also said the public could visit www.saferkidsph.org or follow SaferKidsPH on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.