Child abuse cases triple while PHL cities on Covid-19 lockdown

25 percent of cases perpetrated by family members and close relatives of victims

By Manuel Cayon, Businessmirror, 26 May 2020

The Child Rights Network said cases of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children have jumped three-fold during the lockdown period in the Philippines.

“We reiterateour call to the public to be on guard against the Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC) in light of the spike in OSEC reports and cases, as the country reels over the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic,” the group said.

The group cited one incident on May 21, when government operatives arrested a 28-year-old suspect of online sex trafficking in Butuan City.

Citing the police report, the group said the suspect was a close relative and a neighbor of the seven victims and six other children suspected to have also been abused. “The suspect was arrested after she was found to be offering a paying foreign sexual predator a livestream of the sexual abuse and exploitation of the minors together with an adult”.

“The sad reality that the suspect is a close relative and acquaintance of the victims highlights the fact that at least 25 percent of OSEC cases in the country are perpetrated by family members and close contacts of victims,” said Romeo Dongeto, convener of the Child Rights Network.

He said the data was confirmed by the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), which is headed by the Department of Justice (DOJ),

“In a recently held webinar on OSEC organized by the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population Development and Child Rights Network. The DOJ recently reported that OSEC reports nearly tripled during the months of the Covid-19 lockdown,:” he added.

Dongeto said Filipino authorities should strengthen the country’s reporting and surveillance mechanisms of OSEC in the time of Covid-19. He also called on internet service providers and money transfer facilities to develop the necessary technology and mechanisms to shut down OSEC and to start aggressively report cases.

“We have to maximize the internet to intensify our campaign against OSEC, and be cognizant of the implications of the pandemic and the ‘new normal’ in the review of laws related to OSEC,” Dongeto said.

“We have to declare an all-out war against OSEC in order to resolutely shut down these hideous acts committed against children,” concluded Mr. Dongeto.

It said another global investigation into child sexual exploitation led by the International Justice Mission, “released a groundbreaking study confirming that Philippines has indeed become the global hotspot of online sexual abuse”.

“The study highlights the fact that OSEC victims are very young and are often groomed and abused for years,” he added.

The Child Rights Network has appealed to the public “to immediately report suspected cases of OSEC through these helplines: Bantay Bata 163, Smart: 163, Globe (toll-free): #163, 1343 Actionline Against Trafficking (IACAT), the

National Police, the PNP Aleng Pulis Hotline and the Commission on Human Rights.

He said his organization is the the largest alliance of organizations and agencies pushing for children’s rights legislation in the Philippines.