Fight against grooming and sexual abuse in teenage pregnancies

How do you know if you or someone close to you is being manipulated into sexual exploitation? How can society protect potential victims? We discuss this with Save The Children’s Kitty Arce in this episode of ‘Be The Good’.

Trigger warning: Sexual abuse, assault

MANILA, Philippines – Sexual exploitation and child abuse are dangers faced by many young people in the Philippines. These harms are compounded by the complexity of reporting their experiences and the power struggles that often underlie the abusive relationship.

Actor Sandro Muhlach’s complaint of rape by sexual assault against two independent entrepreneurs of GMA once again brings to light the problem of sexual abuse, particularly sexual abuse in the workplace or by people who have influence on the victim’s career or prospects.

According to a report by ECPAT, Interpol and UNICEF Office of Research-Innocenti, two million young Filipinos between the ages of 12 and 17 may have been victims of online sexual exploitation and abuse in 2021.

Examples of this include cases where children are manipulated into sexual acts by offering them money or gifts.

Meanwhile, government officials have raised alarms about cases of teenage pregnancies resulting from relationships with much older men, pointing to possible coercion or abuse. The Population Commission reports cases of pregnancies among 10- to 14-year-olds that are by men older than 21. The Philippine Legislators Committee on Population and Development also cites data showing that the majority of pregnancies among girls aged 10 to 14 and 15 to 20 in 2014 were by older men.

In this episode of Be the good oneRappler community leader Pia Ranada speaks with Kitty Arce, program manager of Save the Children Philippines’ sponsorship program. Arce has over a decade of experience in development and humanitarian work dedicated to children.

We talk about sexual grooming, how to know if you or someone you know is being groomed for exploitation, and what different sectors of society should do to protect potential victims.

Watch the episode on Friday August 30thbee 7:00 p.m.on this page or on Rappler’s YouTube and Facebook pages.

Be the good one is Rappler’s community show that focuses on advocates, campaigns and people with a mission. – Rappler.com

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