Fight against online child sexual exploitation launched in NorthMin

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / Sep 4) – The Supreme Court on Tuesday set up three “Justice Zones” in the cities of Cagayan de Oro, Iligan and Ozamiz to coordinate their law enforcement efforts to combat online child sexual exploitation.

Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo said a “Justice Zone” is a place where the Supreme Court, together with the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior and Local Government, can “coordinate and streamline efforts” against online child sexual exploitation, which has become a hotspot for virtual child pornography in the Philippines.

“The final point is that this crime targets the most vulnerable in our society – those whom our systems and institutions of justice, care and protection should prioritize and care for,” Gesmundo said.

He said the Ministry of Justice received a staggering report of 2.74 million cyber tips about online child pornography in the country, making it second only to India and has been identified as a global hub for the production of child sexual abuse material by the International Justice Mission (IJM), a global organisation that protects people in poverty from violence.

According to Judge Maria Filomena Singh, based on these statistics, nearly half a million Filipino children have been sexually abused and exploited to create images, videos and live streams that they sell to criminals around the world.

“These horrific statistics mean that one in every 100 Filipino children is a victim,” Singh said.

According to the International Justice Mission, most international sex offenders lure children, often in collaboration with their Filipino parents, to perform via a live stream on the internet or to offer images and videos online.

According to the global organization, nearly a quarter of a million Filipino adults are involved in the trafficking of children to produce new material that sexually exploits children.

“It is easy to detect the production of online child pornography by monitoring internet use and international money transfers. Often it is the parents or relatives who are involved,” said Justice Minister Crispin Remulla.

On July 21, 2014, the Iligan City Task Force Against Online Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation (OSAEC) arrested a woman for “using, persuading, inciting, engaging, directing and facilitating” six children in Barangay Suarez.

The six children, three of whom were the suspect’s children, were handed over to the city’s Social Welfare and Development Office.

“It is clear that we cannot allow this to continue, and we will not allow it to continue,” Gesmundo said.

He said that unfortunately, government prosecutors and law enforcement agencies cannot deal with the complexity of crimes involving technology.

He said this is why “Justice Zones” are being organized in the three cities of Cagayan de Oro, Iligan and Ozamiz, where there have been reports of online child pornography.

“It goes beyond the victim-survivors who are exploited for sexual purposes using information and communication technologies. There are the demand-side perpetrators and the supply-side perpetrators. There are financial transactions. These highlight the difficulty,” Gesmundo said.

“Justice Zones” were also launched in other major cities in the country such as Cebu, Iloilo, Baguio and Davao. (Froilan Gallardo / MindaNews)