The Department of Education (DepEd) is offering cyber safety modules for free and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) is encouraging the public, especially students, to take advantage of it.
The human rights body stressed the need to warn the public against the use of virtual platforms as exploitation venues for children and women.
According to CHR Executive Director Jacqueline Ann de Guia, there is an increasing number of “online sexual exploitation and abuse of children” (OSAEC), which has consistently called for greater government action for the protection of children against online abuse.
“Protection of the young from all forms of abuse and exploitation remains to be one of the most important duties of the State,” de Guia said.
She further added that the shift to digital and online learning, due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, has exposed more children to the dangers of the virtual world—especially online exploitation and cyberbullying. Hence, there is a need for children to learn the basics of internet safety.
The cyber safety modules consist of three courses teaching students how to stay safe online. It can be found under the “Spotlight” tab of DepEd Commons, the department’s e-learning platform.
Source: Philippine News Agency
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