Protecting the youth online: Globe, UNICEF team up on Digital Empowerment

UNICEF and Globe further strengthened their partnership to promote online safety and security among children and the youth through a “Training of Trainers (TOT)” workshop of their Digital Thumbprint Program (DTP).  DTP aims to increase students’ knowledge of digital citizenship and cybersafety by taking a critical look at their online behavior and helping them develop insights into the influences of the online world and the choices they are making.

Due to the COVID-19 lockdown, children are staying online for a longer time. There is now a more urgent need to strengthen the digital skills of students, teachers, and parents to enable them to identify, address, and avoid the risks present in the current digital space.

By partnering with UNICEF, Globe hoped to reach more internet users and help them become more responsible digital citizens. The training aims to create DTP champions among UNICEF staff and partners who can then cascade skills to their peers and networks on the five (5) DTP modules: Digital Insight, Digital Impact, Digital Discernment, Digital Ambition, and the Parent Module. 

“According to the Philippine Kids Online Survey, a study conducted by UNICEF Philippines in 2017, the Internet offers tremendous opportunities as it helps children learn, play and connect. This is even more amplified at this time of the pandemic. However, we also must understand that the caring community that surrounds the childlike parents and teachers, needs opportunities to access new skills and understanding, in order for them to support children have a safe and positive experience online, protected from risks and harm,” explained Patrizia Benvenuti, UNICEF Child Protection chief.

More than 120 officers and staff participated from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Education Alternative Learning System Task Force, Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development, Tambayan Center for Children’s Rights, Break The Silence National Network, Inc. and Share An Opportunity Philippines.

While the training was conducted towards the tail-end of 2020, the relationship between Globe and UNICEF has been a long-standing and fruitful one —  such as speakerships in Globe’s Global Filipino Teachers Series: DTP webinar with the Department of Education (DepEd) attended by roughly 3,000 teachers and DepEd officials; and the inclusion of UNICEF child online safety content in the DTP modules to teach children (and their parents) how to protect themselves against online sexual exploitation and abuse (OSAEC).

According to the Department of Justice Office of Cybercrime, there is a reported 200% increase in cybertips received in 2020 compared to 2019. These cybertips came from the US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children which report child sexual abuse and exploitation materials that pass through their system.

“The threat of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown required a quick pivot from all industries, and the education sector had to grapple with preparing teachers, parents, and students to turn to online learning. As a company that aims to create a #GlobeOfGood, online responsibility and child protection are areas we were able to actively engage through this partnership. We continuously aim to widen the positive societal impact that DTP has been making through the years,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe Chief Sustainability Officer and SVP for Corporate Communications.

The company strongly supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly UN SDG No. 4 on the provision of quality education and UN SDG No. 9 which highlights the roles of infrastructure and innovation as crucial drivers of economic growth and development. Globe is committed to upholding the 10 United Nations Global Compact principles and 10 UN SDGs.

 To know more about Globe’s sustainability initiatives, visit https://www.globe.com.ph/about-us/sustainability.html.