IN A study by the International Justice Mission, a US-based nongovernmental organization working against sex trafficking and exploitation, the Philippines was named the world’s top source of online child sexual exploitation content.
According to the study, endemic poverty is helping drive a surge in abuse in the Philippines, where about 20 million of the 115 million population live below the poverty line. An estimated two million Filipino children have been victims of online sexual abuse and exploitation, according to a study led by Unicef published last year.
Clearly, there must be better enforcement of the country’s anti-trafficking and child protection laws – such as Republic Act 10364, the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act — to prevent Filipino minors from being subjected to various forms of abuses.
We must not lose sight of our responsibility to protect our children from forced labor, slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of human trafficking. The Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act strengthens our legal defenses against individuals and syndicates involved in the illegal human trade. The strict implementation of this law as well as other related pieces of legislation is the greater challenge. Through law enforcement, the country can effectively reduce the occurrence of sex trafficking.
Ah yes, we must also protect minors from indecent and immoral material transmitted through electronic mail and other electronic media. We realize that with advancements in the internet and other technological media allowing communication to cross geographic and national borders in a matter of seconds, everything has now become reachable with the click of a button. Most of these technological advancements have been utilized by unscrupulous individuals for illegal activities such as online child sexual exploitation.
We must keep in mind that human trafficking, and the related problems of the illegal sex trade, forced labor, and other forms of slavery, is a complex web. Battling it requires a concerted effort from all sectors of society.
