The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday announced the collaborative efforts of government agencies with nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and the private sector to raise awareness on digital safety and responsible internet use.
With the local theme “Digital Bayanihan, Para sa Kabataang Ligtas at Protektado Online,” the department’s National Coordination Center against Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children and Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (NCC-OSAEC-CSAEM) is also celebrating this year’s Safer Internet Day (SID).
“We want to build a safe, significant, and responsible internet space for the youth… [This celebration] serves as a call to action, a reminder that safeguarding our children online is an ongoing effort that requires continuous collaboration, innovation, and vigilance,” NCC-OSAEC-CSAEM OIC Executive Director Barbara Mae Pagdilao-Flores said.
She encouraged partner agencies and organizations to work together in the spirit of digital “bayanihan” to ensure a protected online environment for the younger generation.
For his part, Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty this activity is important to raise awareness among the youth who are victims of unsafe online experiences due to fear and lack of access to justice: “It usually happens among children who are not aware that they are already victims, they do not know their rights, and their relatives are the primary violators.”
SID has been celebrated annually in the Philippines since 2018 and is now being celebrated in almost 180 countries worldwide from its inception in 2004. This year’s theme emphasizes the importance of a whole-of-nation approach in echoing the call of the youth to inspire bayanihan among interested groups.
Among the participants of the kick-off ceremony were the Department of Education-Learner Rights and Protection Office (DepEd-LRPO), Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), Philippine National Police-Women and Children Protection Center (PNP-WCPC), PNP-Anti-Cybercrime Group, Stairway Foundation, and Globe Telecom Inc.
