PLDT and Smart have rallied the youth of Antipolo City against online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC). Partnering with the city government of Antipolo and the Antipolo City Social Welfare and Development Office, and Save the Children Philippines, the PLDT Group rolled out the “Better Today for Kids: Bata, Bata Kami ang Iyong Kasangga” learning caravan to raise awareness on OSAEC and share valuable information on how the youth can protect themselves from being victimized online.

“Protecting children from nefarious characters starts with the family. PLDT and Smart are raising awareness among the youth on this pressing issue so they can advocate for safe online practices at home. Knowing about OSAEC and emerging technologies can help prevent families from unnecessarily exposing children to risky online behavior, especially that criminals can now use artificial intelligence (AI) to run their schemes,” said Stephanie V. Orlino, AVP and Head of Stakeholder Management at PLDT and Smart.

Kristine Joyce Magadia, Stakeholder Management Lead for Internet Safety and Livelihood at PLDT and Smart, shared tips on applying safe online practices and how to identify OSAEC red flags.

“Criminals use AI to send phishing emails, create deepfake videos, and imitate voices of familiar people to steal personal details that they use later on to win the child’s trust. Then, they manipulate the victim into sending photos which they use to create explicit or graphic content,” warned Magadia.

A Scale of Harm study by the International Justice Mission revealed that almost half a million Filipino children were trafficked to produce new child sexual exploitation materials in 2022. While foreign men are the primary consumers of these illicit content, their facilitators are locals who are often known to the victims.

April Correa, Project Coordinator at Save the Children Philippines, talked about children’s rights and the dynamics between the perpetrator and the victim. “Poverty remains to be the main driver of OSAEC in the Philippines. There is also misconception among OSAEC enablers that the practice is harmless since the abuser does not have physical contact with the victim,” said Correa.

PLDT and Smart champion a whole-of-nation approach to curtail OSAEC. Besides its pioneering child protection platform, the PLDT Group works with various local and global allies to protect children from harm, including going to communities to raise awareness on online child abuse.

“Being aware of my rights allows me to actively participate in the decision-making process of events that could impact my life. By being informed, I can advocate for my fellow youth on online safety,” said Shiena Combo, a fourth year college student majoring in Information Technology.

The PLDT Group’s efforts and advocacies on child protection underscore its commitment to helping the Philippines attain UNSDG 16, which promotes just, peaceful, and inclusive societies and end the abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against children.