Solon pushes for bill vs. online sexual exploitation of children

Romero made the call following a reported spike in online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC) incidents during the months of quarantine to limit the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). (Pixabay photo)

MANILA – House Deputy Speaker Michael Romero on Friday called for the swift passage of a bill that would protect children from online sexual exploitation.

Romero made the call following a reported spike in online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC) incidents during the months of quarantine to limit the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Citing data from the Department of Justice (DOJ), Romero said that there has been a 264-percent increase in OSEC incidents in the country since the imposition of quarantine restrictions in March.

“Data from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), the DOJ’s Office of Cybercrime on May 25, said that a total of 279,166 cases of internet-related sexual exploitation of children have been reported starting March 2020,” he said.

Among the cases reported include possession, manufacture and distribution of child pornography, child sex trafficking, sex tourism involving children, extra-familial child sexual molestation, unsolicited obscene material sent to a child and misleading words or digital images on the internet.

Under House Bill 6923, an Inter-Agency Council on Online Sexual Exploitation Against Children (IA-OSEC) shall be created to formulate programs and projects to eliminate OSEC and serve as the monitoring body with regard to OSEC initiatives.

The proposed inter-agency council shall be composed of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Council for the Welfare of Children, DOJ, Philippine National Police, Department of Education, and the National Bureau of Investigation.

“There is urgency in the passage of this measure. We have to quickly prevent, respond and end online sexual exploitation of children,” Romero said.

The bill defines OSEC as an act of a sexually exploitative and abusive nature against a child that has, at some stage, a connection to the online environment through the use of the Internet and social media applications.

OSEC includes any use of ICT, resulting in sexual exploitation or causing a child to be sexually exploited or results in or cause images or other materials documenting such sexual exploitation to be produced, bought, sold, possessed, distributed or transmitted.

The bill treats all records pertaining to OSEC cases confidential. Publication of information without the consent of the victim or an immediate family member is prohibited.

It also grants the barangay or courts the authority to issue protection orders to prevent further OSEC violation that may further harm the well-being of victims or disrupt his/her normal way of living.

Romero said the bill also pushes for the protection of the rights of OSEC victims which include the assignment of legal counsel, entitlement to support services from the DSWD and the local government unit concerned, and treatment with respect and dignity.

For unlawful acts not included in the Revised Penal Code and other special laws such as the Cybercrime law, penalties for violation of the proposed OSEC law include minimum imprisonment of three years and fine of not less than PHP500,000.