PLDT Group joins forces with govt vs online child abuse

The PLDT Group continues its collaboration with the Philippine government to boost the fight against online child abuse.

File photo: PLDT logo

Strengthened response to online child abuse

In a statement, it said PLDT Inc. and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. have been actively working with anti-trafficking organization International Justice Mission (IJM) Philippines to provide needed support to the government’s response and efforts amid the surge in child exploitation and abuse cases online.

PLDT Group joins forces with govt vs online child abuse

The group said it has been leading a series of meetings with law enforcement agencies and advocates to understand the real situation on the ground.

In a recent public hearing of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, it was noted that OSAEC comprised a substantial number of the 17,600 cases of child rights violations in 2023, as reported by the Philippine National Police (PNP) Women and Children Protection Center.

Corresponding Senate Resolution No. 1307 filed by Senator Risa Hontiveros cited IJM’s "Scale of Harm Prevalence" study, which reported that nearly half a million Filipino children were trafficked online via live streaming in 2022, involving foreign offenders transacting with local perpetrators that seek financial gain.

According to PLDT and Smart chief sustainability officer Melissa Vergel de Dios, cyber criminals have started taking advantage of technologies, such as artificial intelligence.

While rapidly evolving technologies such as AI bring new capabilities beneficial to everyday life, these are also being used to enable OSAEC, making such crimes against children even more difficult to address. Recognizing this, we at PLDT and Smart continue to update our multi-pronged approach to combat OSAEC. This includes complementing our child protection platform with key partnerships like that with IJM to further strengthen our response and support to the Philippine government’s whole-of-society approach against OSAEC, the official said.

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