THE YEAR 2022 is starting on a positive note for children’s rights legislation. The House of Representatives passed on second reading House Bill 10703 or the bill providing stronger protections against online and offline child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The envisioned passage of the draft bill will address the situation of sexual abuse and exploitation of children that was exacerbated during the pandemic years. With children locked up in their homes, and coupled with economic difficulties, the COVID-19 pandemic situation made it easier for perpetrators to prey on children.
Once passed, this new bill can help alleviate the situation. Legislators in the House of Representatives must heed the call to pass this draft bill before the whole of Congress draws to a halt and dive deep into the election campaign season. This act sends a message to advocates and the public that children’s rights remain at the very core of our legislative process.
HB 10703 consolidates several bills pending in the Lower House that seek to address the nuanced issue of Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OCSEA), by laying down the responsibilities of internet intermediaries, including Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Internet Content Hosts, Social Networking Sites, and banking and financial institutions, enabling the government to work in tandem with the private sector not only to block child sexual abuse or exploitation materials but also to ensure that technological or other practical safeguards are in place to prevent or detect recruitment and trafficking.
At the same time, HB 10703 expands the legal mantle of protection for children against physical sexual abuse and exploitation by expanding the definition of criminal acts including the livestreaming of sexual abuse, and the production, sale, and distribution of child sexual abuse materials. With these amendments, law enforcement agencies are provided a more potent legal tool to combat perpetrators.
We are a step closer towards expanding legal protection not only for the children of today but for generations to come. Will the House be able to pass HB 10703 on third and final reading before the congressional session adjourns for the upcoming campaign period? The Senate has already passed its version of the bill – Senate Bill 2209 – last May 2021.
With HB 10703, the grim days when sexual predators have freely operated both online and offline are about to end. To our dear legislators, we are at the home stretch, we trust that we will have a new law passed at the soonest possible time.
