Two recent studies on online child pornography in the Philippines have found that the kids were prone to sexual abuse on the internet due to its unrestricted use.
The studies recommended the formulation of a “National Information and Communications Technology (ICT) related development framework to tackle withe online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC).
The studies were carried out by the Department of Social Welfare and Development – Inter-Agency Council Against Child Pornography, in collaboration with partners from the Child Rights Network (CRN), UNICEF Philippines, and the Safer KidsPH Consortium.
RELATED STORY: KNOW THE LAW: AED 1M fine for possessing child pornography material in UAE
The first study titled Philippine Kids Online (PKO) Survey presented a new data on Filipino children’s access to the Internet as well as their online behavior and practices while the second study showed OSAEC spread in the country and analyzed the profiles of offenders, perpetrators, child-victims, and their families, as well as the impact of online sexual abuse and exploitation on o children.
The PKO study which involved a survey in 25 selected provinces in the country covering 1,873 children-respondents aged 9-17 years came out with several findings:
* The age at which children in the Philippines engage in online activity was at an average of 10 years old and they spend nearly two hours (116 minutes) a day online.
* Social media dominates children’s internet use while they also use it to connect with others and for schoolwork and education.
* As many as eight out of 100 children interact regularly with someone online while playing games and six in 100 interact regularly with someone they first met online on a social network site or an app.
* One out of two children use the Internet for schoolwork at least every week and more girls compared to boys go for regular use of the Internet for schoolwork.
* Four in 10 children play online games between themselves and three in 10 children play multiplayer online games.
*O ne in two children feel safe using the Internet and the majority reveal their face on their profile and many others their address and full-body photos.
*O ne in ten children accepts friend requests from anyone including strangers and one in five children also accessed websites without knowing how they got there.
* While most children in the Philippines have not encountered sexual risks in the past year, one in four children in the country have encountered sexual images online while one in seven has received sexual messages.
READ ON: Filipino moms found abusing own children through livestream sexual trafficking
The National Study on OSAEC covered 129 key informant interviews (KIIs) and 16 focus group discussions (FGDs) in four different regions in the country and noted that the issue needs to be tackled from a multi-disciplinary approach. The study found that free online connectivity, widespread use of cellphones, irresponsible use of technology and insufficient computer literacy of children and their parents was posing threats of exposure to OSAEC-related activities. It recommended the creation of an integrated framework for responding to OSAEC-related cases and effective collaboration among different government and non-governmental agencies.
Oyunsaikhan Dendevnorov, UNICEF Philippines Country Representative, said the study showed that the public awareness regarding OSAEC has grown over the years, but remains insufficient. He said the study serves as a road map towards preventing OSAEC.
