Read to Grow- OSAEC Awareness

Read to Grow-OSAEC Awareness: A New Initiative at MEANS

The Lord has placed in our hearts to bring the OSAEC Awareness workshop to the place where we have many ministry partners. So, in response to His promptings, we made the workshop happen. This is our first Bacolod City RTG-OSAEC Awareness Workshop – 

62 Participants, 10 RTG community partners, One Cause

The solemn hush of silence settled over the room as 62 participants gathered, each representing a beacon of hope amidst the darkness of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC). They were brought together by 10 RTG community partners, unified by a single, urgent cause. There was a mixture of emotions as each one expressed their expectations about the content, facilitators and with co-participants.

Ms. Janice from San Carlos said ‘I want to be aware how to handle students with sexual abuse cases’, with that, the program commenced.

The facilitators, seasoned advocate in the fight against online exploitation, stood before the group, their voices were steady yet imbued with empathy, unafraid to expose the problem in Philippines’ reality regarding OSAEC. They spoke not only of statistics but also of the human stories that lay beneath the surface.

As the day unfolded, the discussion delved deep into the heart of the problem. Kuya Leody and Pastor Francis Alquizar our faces dissected its multifaceted factors including the ease of access to virtual reality, the anonymity afforded to predators, and the vulnerabilities of innocent children navigating the digital landscape, much worst, their very own relatives or parents were the ones who trafficked them. Legal basis or laws were tackled and calls for stricter enforcement echoed throughout the room.

But amidst the legal discourse, it was the human stories that resonated most deeply. Stories of shattered innocence, stolen childhoods, silent suffering of souls yearning for justice and redemption. All of it, results to a lifelong scars that painted a picture of the true cost of this evil. The effects rippled far beyond the immediate victims, infiltrating families, communities, and societies at large.

Written by Rose Alon – Read to Grow Coordinator from Daga, Cadiz, Negros Occidental