Philippine lawmaker seeks probe into cybersex abuse of children
Oct 13, 2022
Manila [Philippines], October 13: A Philippine lawmaker filed on Wednesday a resolution seeking a congressional investigation into reports that the Southeast Asian country has become the world's top victim of cybersex abuse of children.
In filing the resolution, House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Camille Villar said the Philippines "ranks second in cybercrime vulnerability, exposing greater risks to citizens, especially minors and children who are the most vulnerable."
Citing a joint report by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Interpol, and an organization fighting against the sexual exploitation of children, Villar said 20 percent of internet-using children in the Philippines aged 12-17 years old were victims of online sexual exploitation and abuse.
Villar said online abuse has become more prevalent during the pandemic. "This form of abuse is one of the most pressing issues today," she warned.
Villar also cited a report from the Department of Justice that shows online child sexual exploitation nearly tripled during the pandemic, totaling up to 279,166 child sexual abuse cases reported from March 1 to May 24 in 2020, compared to 76,561 cases over the same period in 2019.
"Online sexual exploitation of children, which includes child pornography and abuse, is one of (the) gravest and most alarming forms of human trafficking happening in the Philippines," Villar said.
According to the Philippine police, cybersex trade has become a livelihood for some low-income families in this country, where 18.1 percent of the 110 million population live below the poverty line. And in many cases, minor victims are forced into the cybersex trade by their parents or relatives.
Authorities have attributed the rising incidents of cybercrime in the Philippines to new technologies, such as live streaming.
The UNICEF has identified poverty, accessible internet and smartphones, prevailing social norms, change in parenting dynamics due to migration, and ease of speaking English as the drivers of online sexual exploitation of children.
Source: Xinhua
