LAHORE: Social Media giant Facebook, in collaboration with Zindagi Trust, has launched a campaign to raise awareness on eradicating online sharing of child abuse material, urging people to report such content through proper channels.
The company, together with Zindagi Trust, has developed a campaign that is aimed at encouraging Facebook users in Pakistan to report content containing any type of violence and abuse against the children.
A special focus has been given to the campaign, which is educating people about the effects of posting such content on the victims. It suggests that any sharing of the content featuring child exploitation is illegal and causes further harm.
The campaign comprising instructional and informative videos is based on research conducted by Facebook, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), and a leading clinical psychologist who specialises in sex offenders, Professor Ethel Quayle.
This research was conducted to understand the reasons behind sharing and re-posting child exploitation content on social media platforms.
Zindagi Trust Programme Officer Ali Aftab said that the content containing child abuse in Pakistan is often accompanied by captions that implore law enforcement agencies to take notice and pursue action.
We will work with NGOs, law enforcement, and government agencies to improve the efficacy of existing mechanisms so that help and support can be provided to children and their families in a timely manner, he added.
According to Facebook Pakistan Public Policy Manager Sehar Tariq, preventing and eradicating online child sexual exploitation and abuse requires a cross-industry approach.
“Facebook is committed to doing its part to protect children on and off our apps. We are taking a research-informed approach to develop effective solutions that disrupt the sharing of child exploitation material,” said Tariq.
