Unicef: Digital tech biggest hurdle in child porn fight

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) met with government officials yesterday to underscore the need to speed up actions against child pornography in the country.

Dr. Nicholas Alipui, UNICEF country representative, said the "biggest challenge" facing the Philippines is the use of digital technology to peddle child pornography.

"I think the biggest challenge is the fact that we are dealing with digital child pornography which is hidden from view and to the extent that we do not know exactly how many children are affected," he said in an interview.

Alipui estimates that the number of children victimized by these illicit activities could run into "several thousands."

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has admitted that it is not easy to control child pornography in the Philippines because of the lack of laws against it.

Lawyer Elfren Meneses Jr., director of the NBI’s Anti-Fraud and Computer Crime Division, said law enforcement agencies are banking on the Revised Penal Code which, however, does not cover digital pornography.

"It is becoming serious now. First, because we don’t have any law (against it). And mostly the offenses now committed are with the use of information technology or computers. We might be charging people, but we are charging them under the Revised Penal Code which is not appropriate to the present (conditions)," he said.

Thus, Meneses underscored the need to pass new laws that could clearly pin down peddlers and promoters of child pornography.

The consultative meeting was attended by representatives of the NBI, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Philippine National Police, Department of Justice, other government agencies and private organizations.

The UNICEF is concerned not only with children being featured on pornographic sites, but also with minors who have access to digital pornography through the Internet.

Alipui said the meeting was aimed at coming up with a plan of action that could strengthen the anti-child pornography campaign in the Philippines.

"The child pornography situation in the country is a major preoccupation (of) the UNICEF. This is a gross violation of children’s rights and it is something that they never have to go through or endure," he said.

Alipui said it is important to get the cooperation of Internet service providers (ISPs) which could provide information on those involved in child pornography

Alipui said parents and teachers can help in the campaign by creating a "protective environment" for the children to enable them to discern what is good or bad for them.

He added that the "culture of silence" among the victims needs to be broken to effectively eliminate the practice.

"You do not expect the children who are being subjected to this form of abuse to self-incriminate by coming out and then reporting themselves," he said.

The lack of awareness about child pornography is also a big hindrance to efforts to protect children.

"Most people do not even consider child pornography as a problem. It is not even well-understood. There are situations (where the) people think that because the child is not really touched or that there is no real sexual intercourse with the child, and the child gets paid and the family gets paid (too), there’s nothing wrong with that," Alipui said.