
Taking advantage of the quarantine situation, perpetrators could easily groom children online and coerce them to send and receive sexually explicit messages, images, and videos.
“With the indefinite suspension of classes due to COVID-19, children are spending more time on the internet, exposed to the dangers of OSEC,” said Euan Crawshaw, Philippine Country Manager of Terre des Hommes - Netherlands.
Children and young adults may experience boredom and economic stress as they stay at home for prolonged periods of time, pushing them to engage in risky behaviors in exchange for money.
“With parents and guardians preoccupied with economic, health, and security concerns, children may end up browsing the internet unsupervised,” Cranshaw added.

We, the Joining Forces Alliance, support the Filipino children in their call to eliminate OSEC — as reflected in the National Children Manifesto on OSEC, which is written by the children themselves.
We also commend the relentless efforts of the government. And we will support the government in providing services to victim-survivors and in ensuring that children are safe.
Now more than ever, our joint efforts should be intensified. Hence, we are calling on the national government — through the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Inter-Agency Council Against Child Pornography; the Department of Justice’s Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking; and the Philippine National Police’s Anti-Cybercrime Group and Women and Children Protection Center — to further strengthen efforts in combating OSEC during this health crisis:

Raise awareness on OSEC through television, radio, and social media, where people mostly spend their time during the crisis.
Establish a database and monitoring system for OSEC reports related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are also calling on local government units (LGUs) to increase efforts in preventing OSEC among their constituents.
“Social protection and safety net interventions for the COVID-19 response should address heightened and complex physical and economic risks and vulnerabilities of children and low-income households,” said Selena Fortich, Plan International’s Country Program Manager for Child Protection.

We, the Joining Forces Alliance, put forward these recommendations for LGUs:
- Provide adequate financial and material assistance (i.e., cash, food, or non-food items) to families whose livelihoods are affected.
- Ensure that prevention measures are functional at all times, such as awareness campaigns, barangay-level reporting mechanisms, and activation of Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) desks.
- Devise alternative reporting mechanisms that is more accessible to the public.
- Consider the unique needs of victims of violence, such as the need to move homes during quarantine restrictions.
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