Philippines told to work with tech firms vs online child exploitation
By John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporter
TO BETTER combat child exploitation, the Philippines must not only pass more online safety laws but also partner with local and global technology firms to stop cybercriminals from using livestreaming platforms, an international legal group said on Tuesday.
“The government must ensure enforcement provisions of the anti-online sexual online exploitation of children law to prevent or disrupt livestreamed child sexual abuse,” Reynaldo H. Bicol, Jr., International Justice Mission (IJM) head, said at the Safer Internet Day Conference organized by ChildFund Alliance.
Citing an IJM report conducted in 2020, Mr. Bicol said nearly half a million Filipino children were trafficked to produce child sexual exploitation material in 2022.
The report noted that nearly a quarter of a million adult Filipinos were involved in trafficking children for such purposes.
Mr. Bicol said Congress must also pass more online safety legislation to deter online sexual exploitation of children as well as fast-tracking the detention and reporting of suspicious financial transactions linked to these crimes.
As a human rights lawyer, he leaned on the need for community-based reporting of child sexual abuse, improving the criminal justice response against offenders, and enhancing preventive measures.
The Anti-Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Children Act, which established the National Coordination Center against Online Sexual Abuse Against Children, lapsed into law in July 2022.
Its implementing rules and regulations were released in May last year, which mandates the creation of an online sexual offenders registry for foreigners and Filipinos.
In a 2022 study, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said about 20% of children aged 12-17 were prone to online sexual abuse and exploitation, with 23% of children not telling anyone of the harm they experienced.
Last year, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla said the Philippines remains a primary destination for online sexual abuse and exploitation of children due to poverty and widespread internet access.