Pitchfest + Hackathon – Combatting Online Sexual Exploitation of Children through Innovative IT Solutions
In this era of digital age exposure to risk in online community further increases especially to children. These circumstance brought Philippines into one of top ten countries with high incidence of Child Pornography. Highlighting Cebu having the most number of report as well as apprehension related to online sexual exploitation or Cyber Pornography. Bidlisiw Foundation Inc. is a Non-Government Organization campaigns to combat online sexual exploitation in Metro Cebu thought of involving IT schools and IT experts/professionals to help in coming up with solutions to counter online sexual exploitation of children. This could be very beneficial since IT students and experts alike can help in identifying various solutions on how to either prevent, detect, report or help in the apprehension of online perpetrators. A gathering of these IT students and experts or professionals will be conducted for them to generate ideas on how to counter this societal problem or try to create solutions through an event called a “Pitch Fest”.
A one day Pitch Fest is dedicated for the sharing of the current situation of online sexual exploitation of children and an introduction about “Pitching Ideas” will be introduced to all participants. Here, participants will already create their own ideas (could be on prevention, detection, reporting, etc.) with the guidance of their mentor coming from the social service, law enforcement, IT experts and prosecution sector. After an hour the group will exhibit their concept and a team of critics will look at it and then proceed with short listing.
The group that will be shortlisted will be notified for the schedule of Hackathon and will proceed with the development of the prototype of their concept. The finished prototype will be exhibited in a convention where partner IT companies and other private and public sectors will be invited to look into the developed countermeasures.
This will serve as venue of showcasing their finished product for further development, upgrades and perhaps acquisition of support.
