Church, school called to help stop cybersex

CEBU, Philippines - Because the operation of the syndicates involving cybersex-for-pay has already transferred to discreet areas that even the police have admitted that it is very difficult to trace them, Cebu City Councilor Arsenio Pacaña is asking church leaders and teachers to help stop the said illegal activity.

In his proposed resolution scheduled to be discussed today, Pacaña said that church and school officials, including the parents, should conduct an information campaign against the reported proliferation of cybersex dens that are “clandestinely operating either in Internet cafés, homes and residences.”

Pacaña said that the public should be vigilant against the online menace by reporting to the police authorities any suspicious activities in their respective communities.

According to him, with the difficulty of detecting cybersex operations, it is imperative for the Catholic Church and other religious sectors of society, including the parents and teachers, to aggressively conduct - either through church or school activities - relevant educational campaigns and information drives to morally inform our youth on this online menace.

He explained that with the advent of technological advancement, some innovative entrepreneurs have taken advantage of Cebu’s tourism boom by engaging in another form of high-tech promotional human trafficking, which is cybersex.

Cybersex is described as a special form of prostitution that is conducted through the Internet with the use of webcams, by inviting people in other countries to watch Filipino young women perform sexual acts in exchange for a fee paid via credit cards.

Senator Maria Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal earlier reported that the cybersex for pay has become a billion-dollar underground industry in the Philippines as its proliferation in the Internet has reached 100,000 dollars everyday.

“The lucrative cybersex business reportedly operated by cybersex syndicates who provide enticing offers have easily lured many of our young and underaged girls into the trade,” Pacaña said. – Rene U. Borromeo/MEEV   (FREEMAN NEWS)