DSWD Rolls Out Project SAFE to Protect Children from Online Abuse
The Department of Social Welfare and Development has started a new effort to address the growing problem of online child sexual abuse and exploitation, with Iligan City chosen as the first area to pilot the program.
Called Project SAFE, the initiative focuses on protecting children, helping survivors recover, and making sure they can safely return to their families and communities. It also aims to stop repeat abuse by strengthening local systems that respond to these cases.
Under the program, the DSWD will work closely with selected local governments by providing training and technical support. This includes helping social workers and partners apply trauma informed care and other child focused interventions for victims and their families. The project also looks beyond rescue, making sure long term healing and proper case management are in place.
Another key part of Project SAFE is prevention. The program promotes digital safety awareness among children and caregivers, encourages better reporting of abuse, and improves how cases are handled at the local level. These steps are meant to reduce the risks children face online, especially as internet access becomes more common.
The project will prioritize children who are newly rescued or involved in active cases of online abuse, as well as out of school youth and students from Grades 3 to 12. Parents, guardians, foster carers, and even the wider community are also included as secondary beneficiaries.
To support the rollout, the DSWD is working with its attached agencies. The Council for the Welfare of Children will continue to manage the MAKABATA Helpline 1343, a round the clock service for children needing special protection. The National Authority for Child Care will assist in providing alternative care options like foster and kinship care when needed.
After Iligan City, Project SAFE is set to expand to Angeles City in Pampanga and Cebu City before the end of December, allowing more communities to benefit from the pilot program.
Photo by Jutta Kamp on Unsplash
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