MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights on Thursday highlighted the need for separate centers for children who are victims of child sexual abuse and exploitation.
The commission also called attention to the lack of special training of prosecutors in handling child sexual abuse cases.
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To recall, Mama Fatima Singhateh — the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography, and other child sexual abuse material — said that the Philippines remains a source and destination country for child trafficking, forced marriage, labor and sexual exploitation.
Singhateh urged the designation of courts solely for the protection of children and for handling child-related cases as she stressed that the country’s laws lack explicit provisions penalizing the sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism.
CHR, part of the government's Technical Working Group that coordinated the 12-day country visit of Singhateh, provided initial inputs to the UNSR and recognized her eventual findings, noting in a statement Thursday that during the height of the pandemic, it observed a significant increase in online sexual abuse and exploitation of children.
"While the Philippines made notable progress in combating trafficking, it is crucial to distinguish child trafficking and sale of children for sexual exploitation as recommended by UNSR Singhateh," it said in its statement.
"The sale of children for sexual exploitation is a specific offense that necessitates unique measures as opposed to child trafficking as an encompassing crime. The distinction shall help ensure the establishment of specific mechanisms and methods that will best address this growing problem."
According to the 2021 Trafficking in Person Report: Philippines by the US Department of State, the Philippine government reported 629 victims of labor trafficking, 361 victims of sex trafficking, including 157 child victims of online sexual exploitation, and five children engaged in armed conflict; it was unclear if the remaining 207 victims faced forced labor or sex trafficking.
The Philippines still remained on Tier 1 in terms of compliance in addressing trafficking that year, the US Department of State said as it noted that "the Philippines meets the minimum standards to eliminate trafficking."
According to a study conducted by the United Nations Children's Fund, children make up almost a third of all human trafficking victims worldwide. But in the Philippines, all child-related cases are handled by family courts, which also hear divorce and child custody cases.
The report also recognized the government’s serious and sustained anti-trafficking efforts, which include identifying more trafficking victims than in 2020, establishing a standard procedure for the identification and monitoring of corruption cases related to trafficking, and charging almost all traffickers to significant prison terms.
"We are hopeful that all of the UNSR findings and recommendations are well-taken by the government to serve as a guide in addressing the urgent situation of vulnerable children in our country. For our part, we shall continue to work with the government in strengthening protection for the dignity and rights of children," the CHR said.