Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna emphasized the importance of collaboration in protecting children from online predators during the first Manila Anti-Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (Anti-OSAEC) Conference held at the Manila Prince Hotel on Thursday.

“The first Manila Anti-OSAEC Conference focuses on how we can effectively work together to ensure our children’s safety. Collaboration is essential to protect them from dangers in their homes, neighborhoods, schools and online,” Lacuna said before nearly 400 delegates.

The mayor also expressed her gratitude to several international organizations for their ongoing support in Anti-OSAEC initiatives.

“I would like to formally thank the European Union, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Australian Government, UNICEF, the Asia Foundation, and Save the Children Philippines for their respective projects in the fight against online sexual abuse and exploitation,” Lacuna stated.

“These foreign-assisted projects are central to the agenda of this conference, and many are already being implemented here in Manila. Collaboration is one of the cornerstones of our administration, especially when it comes to advancing the welfare of children,” she added.

The four key foreign-assisted Anti-OSAEC projects discussed at the conference are:

•SAFE Online — An EU-funded initiative that protects children from online sexual exploitation and violence, empowering them to safeguard themselves and advocate for stronger protective policies.

•SUFASEC — Funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this project, led by Terre des Hommes and partners, aims to ensure all children live free from sexual exploitation.

•Connect2Protect — A Norwegian-funded project that seeks to protect 1,000 children from online sexual exploitation through multi-stakeholder collaboration.

•SaferKidsPH — An Australian Government initiative, in partnership with UNICEF and others, supporting research to change social norms around OSAEC and inform local community strategies.