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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Bantay Bata 163 celebrates 20th year

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ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation, Inc.’s Bantay Bata 163 is going beyond rescue, scholarship, and outreach services as it responds to the alarming issue of online sexual exploitation in the country, especially in the areas where poverty is evident.

Now on its 20th year, the Filipinos’ go-to hotline to report child abuse is taking a step forward in the fight against rampant online sexual exploitation of children through upgrading the 163 hotline and increasing its online presence to ensure the safety of children amidst the cases of cyber bullying and child pornography in the country. Moreover, it will also conduct rehabilitation of the Children’s Village and initiate workshops and trainings to reinforce skills and introduce new techniques towards becoming better parents.

Bantay Bata 163 will celebrate 20 years of protecting Filipino children in a fundraising event on August 12 that will feature creations of international designer and Bantay Bata supporter Rocky Gathercole (center) with (L-R) Bantay Bata 163 head of fundraising committee Mila Sering, ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation managing director Susan Afan, Bantay Bata 163 program director Jing Castañeda and ABS-CBN head of lifestyle ecosystem Ces Drilon.  

To implement these developments, Bantay Bata is holding a fundraising anniversary dinner on Aug. 12 at the Philippine International Convention Center, featuring the world-renowned fashion designer to the stars, Rocky Gathercole, who has worked with celebrities like Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Beyonce. He will feature his pieces in a fashion show.

Rocky’s life story was featured recently in the ABS-CBN program MMK. Abused by his father and abandoned by his mother, Rocky lived in the streets of Lawton until he found a decent job working as a waiter. He went to the Middle East and worked as an apprentice in a dress shop. Eventually, he made it to the United States, where he got to work with top designers and created dresses and gowns for celebrities.

The designer’s painful experience as a young boy inspired him to champion the advocacy of Bantay Bata 163, and his fashion show will be a showcase of his call – a statement that child abuse must be stopped, and an invitation to everyone to support the cause.

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According to UNICEF, eight out of every 10 Filipino children and adolescents are in danger of being sexually abused online, making the Philippines one of hotspots for online child sexual abuse. 

In 2016, the Philippines also ranked the “first global source of child pornography” and the “epicenter of the live-stream sexual abuse trade.” Through the fundraising dinner, Bantay Bata hopes to continue protecting and saving more children from child abuse as it has done so in the past two decades. For inquiries about the anniversary dinner, please contact Freda Agustin at (02) 4110856 or 090887373.

Bantay Bata 163 is one of the three flagship programs of the ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation, Inc. that caters to the Filipino children. For more information, visit their website at http://corporate.abs-cbn.com/lingkodkapamilya/bantay-bata.

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