This is a report advocating for the defense of children. It urges all good-hearted individuals to commit themselves strongly to safeguarding children from abuse and providing them with healing and an opportunity to live a life free from exploitation. It is a responsibility that every human being shares, but not everyone possesses the compassion, empathy, moral fortitude, and conviction necessary to care for abused and exploited children. Doing so, however, is crucial in defeating evil and winning the moral battle for the minds, hearts, spirits, and lives of all children in our communities.
The evil serpent turning innocent children into fearful, intimidated and controlled persons is the runaway, uncontrolled and wild Internet platforms like Facebook, TikTok and many others. Through neglect they allow the evil content that damages and infects the minds and hearts of children. The uploaded images and on-line grooming lures children to unknowingly participate in actions harmful to them. They are caught in irreversible situations that can lead them to take their own lives.
Everyone must know that there are alternatives to Facebook and we ought to direct children to safe and secure social media platforms like Kidzworld, Cocoon, PX Kd, and Zigazoo. Good got kids age five and older, a very creative platform. Azoomee provides kids with games and videos. Then, there is Kinzoo Messenger for Families. Yet another is Blinx, great for children aged eight and older. Also, GeckoLife and the website Franktown Rocks.
Adults who want a safe and cleaner alternative can transfer to other platforms and persuade their friends and contacts to join them and change to Mastodon or Ownmates. Also Signal and Telegraph are safer platforms and an alternative to Facebook for communicating.
Many people find child abuse too shocking to read or think about, let alone form a determination to act for the good and oppose evil. That’s because there are so many million victims that are now adults living with repressed memories. They turn away from the thoughts and memories of the evil crime from which they continue to suffer from.
Many people find child abuse too shocking to read or think about, let alone form a determination to act for the good and oppose evil. That’s because there are so many million victims that are now adults living with repressed memories
The memory of childhood sexual abuse cannot be totally erased. Victims, although already adults, could heal if they fought back, joined campaigns against this evil and saved other victims. Failure to act allows more crimes and abuse to continue.
Others ignore the evil done to children and continue to use harmful sites. Thousands of children are abused in the Philippines according to UNICEF research on these sites.
Facebook can be used for good, too. Everyone with knowledge of good and evil and a conscience must control and limit their use to essential contact and advise and persuade their friends to transfer to a cleaner, more morally correct platform.
Every person concerned with safeguarding children should invite friends to join a petition to their governments and make a campaign to appeal to the public, hold a rally however small at first, and demand international action in the EU and the United States for laws imposing stringent control on social media platforms and supporting changes to Section 230 of the US Communications Decency Act of 1996.
As we celebrate the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Chaplaincy to Filipino Migrants organises an on-line talk every Tuesday at 9.00pm. You can join us at:
https://www.Facebook.com/CFM-Gifted-to-give-101039001847033
This law—enacted long before Internet access and social media became common—makes social platforms immune from being sued for any information that others may post there. Because of this, they are not legally responsible even though they should be morally responsible.
In a comprehensive study, UNICEF researchers discovered that one in every five Filipino children between the ages of 12- and 17-years-old said that they were sexually abused online
The platforms allegedly have no conscience or interest to control or moderate the evil and corrupting content. They hide behind and are protected by Section 230 of the US Communications Decency Act. This must be changed.
The people to be held responsible under the law in most countries are the persons that post the illegal material and those who access it.
The Internet connects everybody with an account and the ISPs that use it and enable it to function have weak, ineffective or no blocking software installed.
This allows the evil content and abusers to proliferate and spread. Powerful software is available to stop many images of child abuse but the telecommunication companies don’t use them. It is likely the software will slow down their systems and they might lose customers to other providers.
Philippine law says the ISPs should install blocking software [RA 11930]. It seems they choose to ignore it. Under Section 3(e), the telecommunications/ICT regulator, which is the National Telecommunications Commission, ……. under Section 9(a), has the authority to order Internet intermediaries to immediately block access to, remove or take down the Internet address, uniform resource locator [URL], websites, or any content thereof containing CSAEM [child sexual abuse and exploitation material] or involving streaming or live streaming of OSAEC [online sexual abuse and exploitation of children].
The ISPs and telecoms seem to care more about making money than child safety.
In a comprehensive study, UNICEF researchers discovered that one in every five Filipino children between the ages of 12- and 17-years-old said that they were sexually abused online. It was established that 90 per cent of the 950 children contacted and interviewed said that they were using Facebook and Facebook Messenger.
UNICEF’s research was done between January and April 2021. It also said that children reported the abuse they experienced on other platforms like TikTok, Twitter (now X), Instagram and Snapchat.
The female children were lured by a “boyfriend” to expose themselves online. They were recorded and blackmailed to pay not to have their compromising photos and videos sent to their family and classmates.
Others suffered when their private personal photos were circulated on Facebook without their permission. Many children worldwide have committed suicide because of sexploitation blackmail.
A 15-year-old teenager allegedly raped and sexually assaulted by a priest in Cagayan, who is now in jail and on trial, was videotaped and blackmailed into having sex with him. She broke down and told her friends what he was doing to her. He admitted to the crimes but claimed the acts were consensual.
Other children reported to UNICEF of being sexually abused by Facebook contacts. They were ashamed or afraid to report the abuse. They continue to suffer in silence and bury the hurt and pain inside.
Everyone must work together to get the government to implement the law and control the evil content passing through the ISPs for the protection of the children and society.
Father Shay Cullen
www.preda.org
