Telcos fight online child abuse

Filipino telecommunications and internet providers pledged to combat the online abuse of children as United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) raised the alarm on rising cases in the country.

As the world observed Safer Internet Day last Tuesday, Unicef child protection officer Ramil Anton Villafranca stressed there was an “urgent need to address online sexual abuse and exploitation of children.”

“We saw an alarming trend even before the pandemic that led to abuse which was further exacerbated by economic hardships during the pandemic,” he said.

“As a community, we need to create better opportunities that will enable our children and their families, without exposing them to the risks of abuse and exploitation,” Villafranca added.

Data shared by Unicef and SaferKidsPH showed the internet was far from being a space place for minors.

While 90 percent of Filipino children can access the internet, 59 percent do so without any supervision while 48 percent believed there was not enough protection online.

The data also showed 18 percent of children had unwanted sexual experiences online, with most cases involving other family members such as parents and young siblings.

Overall, one in 10 children remain vulnerable with male and female minors facing similar risks of abuse.

Villafranca shared the data during a webinar hosted by Globe Telecom, which also underscored the importance of cooperation among the public and private sector.

“As a digital solutions group, Globe recognizes the need for children to be safe online,” Yoly Crisanto, Globe chief sustainability officer and senior vice president, said.

—Miguel R. Camus