‘My Child’ screenings raise awareness on online sexual abuse of children
CEBU, Philippines — The Rotary Club of Metro Cebu organized a charity dinner gala on March 20 for the benefit of victims of online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC) at the City Sports Club Cebu where they screened Venrich Holdings OPC’s advocacy film “My Child.”
The one-hour-and-seven-minute movie stars indie actress Elora Españo – known for Chito Rono’s “Signal Rock” and star of the upcoming Jun Lana feature “Your Mother’s Son” – as Celina who is dealing with the trauma of being forced as a child by her mother to perform lewd acts on camera in exchange for money.
“My Child”, a mix of Tagalog and English, was shot in Cebu City in late 2022. Since its premiere in 2023, the film has had block screenings at Ayala, SM Seaside City, Barrio Luz, Cordova, Daanbantayan Island as well as in Pampanga, in collaboration with local government units and other relevant organizations, according to the film’s producer Venus Abangan.
“There are always a few that are moved to tears during screenings because they can relate to it. Some of them came up to me and shared their own experiences. It’s very touching because my goal is to tell kids that there is hope for them and there are people who will help them, so they shouldn’t keep the trauma to themselves,” Abagan told The FREEMAN.
“I want to raise awareness that they can tell their teachers or principals because these crimes happen at home where they are supposed to be safe. Their next safe haven should be their school and that’s where they should talk to their teacher.”
After the screening, Rosemarie Gonato from the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center’s Women and Children Protection Center gave a presentation on the impact of online sexual abuse/exploitation of children (OSAEC).
This was Gonato’s three-fold advice to prevent children from being OSEC victims: there should be education on cybersafety for both parents and their children, minimize their screen time, and make sure they are consuming safe and child-friendly content.
At the forum discussion where they shared their thoughts on the film, President of the Rotary Club of Metro Cebu Dr. Glenda Antonio urged her peers to address OSAEC with sociological lenses and through philanthropic efforts.
“The issues we are facing are systematic in nature. Cybersex may be a by-product of bigger problems in society like poverty and the lack of education. We don’t look at one factor as the problem, but by putting all the cancers in society that play a role in all of those problems,” Dr. Antonio said.
“Being charitable is okay, but beyond charity, we should put all our resources on what we can place on the table. That’s why we launched this dinner to build awareness and pass it on to many people, so we can put our resources together in the many advocacies of the Rotary.”
Dr. Antonio further told The FREEMAN after the event: “We are now seeing symptoms and we should address them. We want people to see that children are already suffering and we don’t want that to happen if there is something we can do to prevent it.” — (FREEMAN)
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