Senate set to debate bill vs sexual abuse, exploitation of children

A bill that would provide special protections against online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) would now up for debate in the Senate plenary.

Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality chairwoman Risa Hontiveros sponsored Senate Bill 2209 containing committee report 257 during the plenary session on Tuesday.

In her sponsorship speech, Hontiveros cited the case of Australian national, Peter Scully, who was arrested for streaming the sexual and physical abuse of Liza (12 years old), Cindy (11 years old), and Daisy (18 months old).

“The Philippines is one of the global hotspots of child sexual abuse and exploitation committed on online platforms. While the case of Peter Scully truly stands out, the statistics are staggering,” Hontiveros said.

She noted a UNICEF study in 2016 which listed the Philippines as one of the top 10 countries that produce child sexual abuse and exploitation materials.

The youngest recorded Filipino victim of OSAEC was a 2-month-old baby, Hontiveros noted.

She further pointed out that the Department of Justice recorded a 264.6% increase in online child abuse during the imposition of community quarantines from March to May 2020.

“Most of the primary traffickers are parents, immediate family members, or the neighbors and members of their communities. The International Justice Mission actually reported that in 87% of cases, a female trafficker was involved, usually the mother or close female relative,” she noted.

“The call to end OSAEC is therefore urgent. But it is equally important, because of the unique features and the peculiar difficulties of the crime considering its online and often transnational element, we make sure that the tools we use are good tools,” she added.

SB 2209 defines and penalizes OSAEC as a specific crime, and distinct from offenses under Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act and RA 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act.

It also builds on gains on RA 9775 or the Anti Child Pornography Act of 2009.

The measure likewise provides additional tools for the law enforcers to pursue perpetrators of OSAEC, particularly those who are anonymous on various online platforms.

Hontiveros said this bill also imposes additional duties on internet intermediaries, including social media networks like Facebook, such as the blocking and removal of child sexual abuse or exploitation material within 24 hours from receipt of notice, the preservation of evidence in their possession, and the development and adoption of systems and procedures for preventing, blocking, detecting and reporting of OSAEC cases

This will likewise prohibit the entry into the Philippines of all convicted perpetrators of OSAEC or similar and equivalent crimes in other states.

Those being monitored by the Philippine government for conducting OSAEC are also barred from entering the country.

SB 2209 also seeks to create a National Coordination Center Against OSAEC (NCC-OSAEC) which shall be lodged under the Department of Justice Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking and shall be the point-of-contact and coordination system for the receipt of cyber-tipline reports.

This bill also mandates a gender-responsive, age-appropriate, child-friendly, victim-centered, and trauma-informed set of protocols for reporting, detecting, investigating, prosecuting, and providing aftercare assistance and support in OSAEC cases. — DVM, GMA News