Philippines ready to battle AI-aided child exploitation

An inter-agency council said the Philippines has a law in place to deal with Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated child sexual abuse and exploitation, but stressed the need to be proactive to prevent criminals from victimizing Filipino kids.

Undersecretary Angelo Tapales of the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) said that while there are no reported cases yet of AI-related abuse based on police records, the council remains vigilant amid the widespread nature of such incidents in other countries.

The Philippines has a law called Republic Act No. 11930 or the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM). 

The law ensures the protection of every child against all forms of sexual abuse and exploitation, especially those committed using information and communications technology.

CWC said among the provisions of the law mandate swift investigation immediately following reports and complaints, as well as the submission of evidence to law enforcement or prosecutors.

It said faster probe of cases is needed considering the crime's aggressive nature, and the need to combat child exploitation effectively.

Under Section 27 of the law, the victims will be provided with emergency shelter, counseling, pre-legal assistance, medical and psychological services, livelihood and skills training as well as educational assistance.

Of particular concern regarding AI-aided crimes against children are the photorealistic images circulating on the internet, created using image editing software by malicious individuals to produce materials for child sexual abuse and exploitation, Tapales said.

“Iyong mga tinatawag natin na mga AI generation tools whether it’s open source – available iyan sa internet or iyong binibili – at saka iyong mga tinatawag na image editing softwares ay ginagamit po ng masasamang tao para po talaga mag-create ng child sexual abuse and exploitation materials,” he said.

These disturbing materials are then traded or sold on the dark web, raising apprehension about the potential impact on children's safety.

“Tapos ang nangyayari riyan po, iyan po ay tini-trade or binibenta sa dark web. So, batay po sa mga pag-aaral po sa ibang bansa like – kunwari po sa United Kingdom, mayroon silang mga na-monitor na ganito and, of course, ang pangamba ho nila the realism is really incredible ‘no. So, photorealistic images daw po iyong talagang naki-create – talaga pong nakakabahala kaya po binabantayan po natin,” Tapales said.

What is even more alarming, the official added, is the involvement of parents or relatives who perform the illegal activities against their children.

“For online sexual abuse po, usually it’s the parents, relatives or with person with close proximity with children talaga ang gumaganap, kasi po sila ang may opportunity; there is a wrong mentality that children’s should contribute to the income of the family, that’s why tingin nila okay lang mapiktyuran (picture) iyong mga bata, i-video ibenta iyan," Tapales said.

"Mayroon ding wrong mentality na hindi hinahawakan, hindi naman may ginagawa sa anak nila, so it’s okay iyong ang sabi nila ‘no. Of course, tinututulan po natin iyan, iyan po ay mali, iyan po ay nakaka-damage sa ating mga bata po, kaya dapat pong iwaksi," he added.

CWC said it has discovered a "new species" of potential violators with the advancement of technology.

"With AI OSEAC and CSAEM, iyong sinasabi ko dito, it’s not just fueled by poverty, under development, and hindi limited lang sa family ano. Iyong mga tao ho na hindi kayang humawak ng bata, but mayroon pong technical knowledge, may pera ring pambili ng hardware and software ay puwede po silang gumawa ng unlimited number of AI pictures at ibenta po nila sa dark web iyan," Tapales said.

"So, it’s really alarming that’s why we have stumbled upon a new species of potential violators ano, kaya po talaga binabantayan po natin," he added.

According to the Philippine National Police-Women and Children Protection Center, there were 17,681 reported cases of violence against children in 2023, with the top three violations being related to the Child Abuse Law, including rape and acts of lasciviousness.

For online sexual abuse and exploitation of children, over 1,000 victims were reported, leading to charges against more than 300 individuals by the third quarter of the same year. The top three child rights violations in 2022 were consistent with the previous year, including violations of RA 7610, rape, and acts of lasciviousness.

Despite the high number of reported cases, there is no available data on convictions.

In 2022, out of over 19,000 cases reported, violations of RA 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act, acts of lasciviousness, and rape comprised over 90 percent of all reported incidents.

CWC said it is coordinating with other national government agencies through the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking in dealing with the cases of abuse. It also launched the Makabata helpline 1383 and signed 23 memoranda of understanding with the public and the private sector including local government units particularly San Juan, Quezon City, Makati, and Malabon as well as the Justice, Labor and Information Communications Technology departments.

“So, we are in the process of creating awareness, that’s why we speaking out in the public," Tapales said. —LDF, GMA Integrated News