Optical Media Board (OMB) Chairman Edu Manzano yesterday said the approval by the House of Representatives of a bill that protects minors from sexual abuse and exploitation is a major boost to the campaign against child pornography.
The OMB’s “Silence is Acceptance Campaign” had asked lawmakers to assist, via legislation, in educating children, their families, various civic and religious sectors and human rights organizations on measures to make cyberspace and other modes of communication safe for children.
The OMB is a member of the Inter-Agency Council against Child Pornography (IACACP). Manzano said its campaign is supported by the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC), the Anti Child Pornography Alliance (ACPA), Microsoft Philippines, Akap-Bata, Kabataan Consortium, Stairway Foundation, Share A Child Movement, ECPAT Philippines and PREDA.
Manzano and the OMB’s fight against child pornography dates back to 2007 when the OMB requested assistance in its campaign from Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Philippine National Police and Bantay Bata. Manzano said they’re also tapping the Department of Education and are exploring other means like the Internet to educate the public on this growing menace.
“We thank the principal authors of House Bill 6440 for their swift action on addressing the problem of the use of optical and magnetic means to promote child porn,” Manzano said. The bill consolidates other bills filed by 30 other congressmen.
The OMB head expects the proliferation of child porn materials to abate, considering that the measure will identify specific violations and corresponding penalties, and the law enforcement agencies tasked to file complaints against violators. Manzano is also pushing the creation of a database of child pornography cases to include a national registry of offenders.
Manzano pointed out that an alarmingly high percentage of pirated film materials that the OMB has confiscated in its raids pertain to child pornography that victimizes even pre-teen children from here and abroad. “We have to be consistent in this campaign,” he said. –Daily tribune
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