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[av_heading heading=’EDITORIAL | Combating child porn’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”][/av_heading]
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Friday, May 12, 2017
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RECENTLY, a suspected pedophile was arrested in Pampanga. The National Bureau of Investigation found in his computer videos and images of young boys and girls engaged in sex acts streamed to clients abroad for fat fees.
Child pornography in the Philippines has been detected as early as 1995, when an international conference on pornography was held in Manila, calling for committed and effective law enforcement to combat the growing abuse and exploitation of children. This time, however, the perpetrators are more creative and are using advanced technology – the internet.
After more than 20 years, child pornography has not dwindled, instead it has become worse with the aid of the internet. Think about this: While our tourism industry is thriving and technology, especially the internet, is advancing, the susceptibility of minors to sexual trade is also increasing.
In past years, the Philippine National Police identified and conducted child pornography-related raids in various provinces. There are many non-government organizations, too, that advocate against child prostitution and they receive full backing from the government. However, their coordination with one another seems not enough.
It is feared that internet sex rings have spread even if our country is equipped with laws that would punish child pornographers. We have the Anti-Trafficking of Women and Children Act and the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act. We also have the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. Perhaps the problem lies in their enforcement. And if the prosecution is inefficient, cases may still be dismissed.
Child pornography continues to thrive in this country because of widespread poverty and the lack of stringent enforcement of laws against it, and the inefficient prosecution of perpetrators.
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