City of San Fernando—— Some one hundred parent-participants from the different barangays of the city attended the orientation on Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC) at the Benigno Hall, Capitol Compound here the other day.
The orientation was conducted by the International Justice Mission (IJM) and Stairway Foundation (SF), a non- governmental organization (NGO) based in Mindoro, through the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO).
In his message, IJM community coordinator Lito Cabbigat said the orientation’s objectives are to educate parents to know the risk of internet exposure to their children, promote practices to prevent children from becoming victims of cybercrime trafficking, and inform parents the effective response of guiding their children in their social media activities.
With seven operations in Pampanga area, the latest being on July 16, 2017, a total of 31 victims of OSEC were helped and sent back to their homes, Cabbigat said. Of the number, 27 were minors with 18 of them under 12.
Moreover, 19 suspects have been arrested as a result of several manhunt operations conducted in the province, including one in Mabalacat City. Five other operations were also carried out in the chartered city of Angeles and one in Olongapo City.
Cabbigat said the data were the result of joint operations and coordination between IJM and Local Law Enforcement Agencies.
SF senior advocacy officer Ysrael Diloy, meanwhile, encouraged parents to constantly monitor and observe their children’s activities to avoid becoming victims of cybercrime trafficking. ///
