Marcos Jr alarmed over rising number of online sexual abuse of children | ABS-CBN

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Marcos Jr alarmed over rising number of online sexual abuse of children

Marcos Jr alarmed over rising number of online sexual abuse of children

Pia Gutierrez,

ABS-CBN News

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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered government agencies to intensify its campaign against increasing cases of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children. 

Malacanang noted that in 2016, the Philippines emerged as the center of child sex abuse materials production in the world, based on the study by UNICEF.

“Obviously, these things are very alarming. Yesterday, at the meeting, the President was visibly distressed, very bothered and clearly stressed with the information that was relayed to him which is why he gave the directive, a very strong directive to the DOJ, to the PNP and other law enforcement agencies to further intensify the efforts,” Department of Justice (DOJ) Spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano said in a Palace briefing.

According to Malacanang, the President directed the interior department and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to intensify the monitoring of cases locally and abroad and increase their presence in communities. He also ordered the DOJ and the PNP “to come down on perpetrators with the full weight of the law and directed the DSWD and other agencies to streamline and improve the process of investigation to make sure the children are protected and families are properly reintegrated."

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Marcos Jr. ordered government agencies to further collaborate with the private sector and internet service providers on a local and global scale, as well as to mount an awareness campaign in schools and communities, the Palace said.

“Because this cannot only be done by whole-of-government approach, but if not, whole-of-nation approach which includes the private sector, the social media platforms where these crimes usually occur. Facebook, for example, he asked the DOJ to intensify talks with Facebook and to remind them of their obligations under the law,” Clavano said.

According to data from the National Coordinating Center, victims of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) and child sexual abuse and exploitation materials (CSAEM) aremost often poor children living in the rural areas, with cases being most rampant in the provinces of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, as well as in city of Taguig in Metro Manila.

“Where the facilitator is a parent or family member, the model-victim age is in the pre-adolescent range, while where the family facilitator is not a family-member, the model age profile is the adolescent age. Victims of OSAEC were predominantly female at 86 percent and a significant number of victims, 14 percent, were male,” Clavano said.

“OSAEC was usually a family-based crime, with the biological parents facilitating the abuse of 41 percent of the victims and other relatives facilitating abuse for another 42 percent of the victims. And without intervention, the abuse usually lasts for two years.”

Atty. Margarita Magsaysay, OIC of the National Coordinating Center on OSAEC and CSAEM, expressed alarm that child sexual abuse and exploitation materials are now cheaper and more accessible to perpetrators.

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“So, kumakagat na iyong mga victims, mga P300, P200 for just showing CSAEM, showing nude pictures… that is how bad it is. That is why nagugulat rin po kami na parang mas  mababa ngayon ang value, pero mas madaming CSAEM and  it is because of that, kaya it’s becoming cheaper, it’s becoming more accessible to perpetrators. So, iyon po ang nakakagulat rin po, it’s very alarming, because CSAEM has become more accessible to these perpetrators,” she said.

The Philippine National Police said that it was in close collaboration with other foreign law enforcement agencies through the PICAC or the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children, which is under the PNP Women and Children Protection Center.

“The PICAC is coordinating with the UK National Crime Agency, the Australian Federal Police, the Netherlands Police and the IJM. So, together they refer to cases when they find devices in other countries when they arrest criminals who have on their devices, CSAEM and then refer to us if there are Asian-looking or Filipino children and we do the rescue and arrest of facilitators,” PNP Women and Children Protection Center Chief PBGen. Portia Manalad said. 



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