BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Globe Group lauded legislation that aims to protect children against online sexual abuse and exploitation, which recently lapsed into law in what advocates described as a victory for child rights.
In a statement, Globe, which has long been campaigning for online child safety, vowed to fully support implementation of the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) law by championing private sector participation in shielding children from dangers they face on the internet.
“We share in the excitement of our fellow child rights advocates and in celebrating this milestone in our quest to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation online. This law is fully aligned with our long-standing programs against OSAEC, as Globe has been at the forefront of this fight. This inspires us even more to bolster our efforts against these online risks,” Atty. Froilan Castelo, Globe Group General Counsel, said.
The Anti-OSAEC bill, among the first measures to become law under the new administration, aims to institutionalize the role of the private sector, particularly providers of electronic services, and their cooperation with law enforcers to filter out OSAEC content.
It also seeks to create a new body under the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking: the National Coordinating Center against OSAEC and Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM).
The law will also give investigators stronger surveillance tools to catch OSAEC perpetrators.
Globe has long been promoting online child safety through #MakeITSafePH, which was launched in 2017 to actively educate the public on online safety, including how to stop OSAEC and protect children from online risks.
It earlier invested at least $2.7 million to establish content filtering systems that block websites and online imagery that promote child pornography and online piracy. It has also partnered with local and international organizations to boost the fight across all fronts.
Under the #MakeITSafeCampaign, Globe has also been running the Digital Thumbprint Program (DTP), an educational platform that teaches responsible digital citizenship to students, teachers, parents, and netizens. DTP holds workshops through webinars and e-modules to teach children, parents, and other stakeholders how to understand the impact of their online behavior and how to be safe and responsible in their online activities.
The program was integrated into the Department of Education’s (DepEd) K-12 curriculum in 2019, as the government and private sector continue to work together on digital safety training.
Globe has just launched a new portal, www.makeitsafe.ph, which brings together its various efforts to raise awareness and educate the public on internet safety, especially cyberbullying.*
