Many people in the Philippines are still unaware of Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC)—despite it harming a huge population of Filipino kids.
The Philippines is a highly conservative country where its culture refuses to speak of difficult topics like sexual abuse, let alone sexual abuse of children. It is also a highly family-oriented country where families refuse to speak about the most pressing issues among themselves. Unfortunately, a lot of perpetrators of OSAEC are close family members of the victims, as they downplay the long-term harm it could give children.
Although there have been some efforts here and there to shed light on the topic, we still have a long way to go in lessening the number of children who could experience this crime. Just recently, we engaged with the community around our Microfinance Program office, distributing OSAEC pamphlets and activity booklets throughout the area..
Although we had low expectations, the knowledge level of the people we spoke with are alarming. Many are still unfamiliar with the term “OSAEC” alone, and were hearing it for the first time. We also had the opportunity to meet some mothers involved in our microfinance project, and it was refreshing to see them not only get acquainted with microfinance but also learn about our other prevention efforts like this one.
Reaching 100 people that day is quite a milestone! Although we still have a long way to go, we stand by our unwavering passion and commitment to ensuring that all our programs are actively communicated on the streets and online, to empower the communities and protect Filipino children. May we save lives one chat and pamphlet at a time.
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