House slaps stiffer penalties for child abuse, exploitation, discrimination

Individuals who abuse, exploit and discriminate children may soon be slapped with harsher punishments as the House of Representatives on Monday approved on third and final reading the bill imposing stiffer penalties for such acts.

Voting 160-0, the chamber approved House Bill 9024, which essentially amends RA 7610, also known as the "Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act."

The measure provides stiffer penalties for using children in obscene publications and indecent shows, for neglecting, abusing, and exploiting them prejudicial to the their development, for violating anti-child labor practices, and for discriminating children of indigenous cultural communities.

Under the measure, any person who hires, employs, use, persuade or coerce a child to perform in obscene exhibitions and indecent shows, or pose in obscene publications will now be slapped with a penalty of reclusion temporal in its medium period, or 14 years, eight months and one day to 17 years and four months in prison.

If the child used in these acts is below 12 years old, the penalty for the violator will be reclusion perpetua, or 20 years and one day to 40 years in prison.

Also, any guardian or ascendant who caused a child to be employed or participate in any obscene show will now be slapped with a penalty of reclusion perpetua in its maximum period.

Moreover, anyone who abuses, exploits or performs acts of cruelty to a child or be responsible for the conditions prejudicial to the child's development will now suffer a penalty of reclusion temporal in its minimum period, or 12 years and one day to 14 years and eight months in prison, as well as a fine of not less than P500,000.

Meanwhile, those who commit violations of anti-child labor practices will now be meted with a penalty of a minimum of one year and one day to six years in prison and a fine of not less than P100,000 to P300,000.

On the other hand, individuals who discriminate children of indigenous cultural communities will now be slapped with a penalty of prision correctional in its medium period, or six months and one day to two years and four months in prison, and a fine of not less than P50,000 to P100,000.

The violator will also be required to undergo a re-education and re-orientation program on the Indigenous Peoples Culture of the Philippines. — RSJ, GMA News