Philippines to go after those contributing to online sexual exploitation of children
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government vowed it will go after those who contribute to the online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC), may it be parents or other individuals involved in the operations.
Government officials on Tuesday acknowledged that the Philippines has become the hub for explicit materials that cater to pedophiles around the world, harming Filipino children in the process.
“Ang pagsama samin dito ng law enforcement agencies natin ay isa lang hudyat na hindi talagang hindi tayo papayag na manatili ang ganito sa ating bansa,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said in a press conference on Tuesday.
(The presence of our law enforcement agencies here today is one of the signs that we will not accept that this will continue in our country.)
Officials noted that in some cases, the parents of the children are involved in the abuse. Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. even recalled a case where the parents got angry at local government officials for stopping their operations because they lost P20,000 to P30,000 worth of monthly income.
Rise amid the pandemic
The United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in a statement in 2020 said that the pandemic “facilitated a dramatic rise in OSEC cases."
Citing data from the Department of Justice, Save the Children Philippines expressed concern in 2020 after online sexual abuse and exploitation against children saw a 246.6% increase during the enhanced community quarantine implemented from March to May 2020, with 202,605 reported cases from 76,251 in 2019.
UN OCHA said the local situation is further aggravated by high poverty rates.
A recent report from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that more Filipinos ended 2021 poorer than they were pre-pandemic with a poverty rate of 18.1% last year versus 16.6% in 2018.
READ: Pandemic pulls more Filipinos back to poverty in 2021
Abalos’ DILG data showed that there were 62 OSEC operations conducted in 2020, 29% more than the 48 in the previous year. There were 227 operations conducted in since 2017, including the 26 done in 2022 so far.
Out of 103 cases child pornography cases seen since 2016, only 67 resulted in a case and only three were resolved.
Meanwhile, Philippine National Police chief Rodolfo Azurin said that they have received over 370 referrals since 2019 and the agency was able to conduct 250 police operations. The PNP has convicted 71 suspects based on its operations so far.
War on ‘billion dollar industry’
Asked if the government will “declare a war” against online sexual exploitation of children in the same way the previous administration went after drug users, Remulla said: “Yes, we are declaring a war on this.”
“Lahat na ng pwedeng gawin ng bansa para rito (Everything the country can do for this issue), 100% of law enforcement is here as well as 100% of jails and correction facilities are here… to make sure that we have reserved a place for those who insist on doing what they do,” Remulla said.
Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy vowed that they are “extensively coordinating” with law enforcement agencies as they trace local abusers. The department is also asking telecommunications companies to add filters into their system so they can trace those who have transactions related to child pornography.
Uy warned that those caught will be added to a list of internationally blacklisted individuals who are involved in child pornography. Philippine Special Envoy to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Nikki Teodoro said that the Philippines’ child pornography problem has ballooned to become a “billion dollar industry.”
“We are getting international help but the problem is it’s not fast enough, it has to be faster,” Teodoro said, urging that the country enhance its programs to address the issue.
- Latest
- Trending
