Fight rising online child sex abuse, government urged

MANILA, Philippines — Civil society and watchdog groups called for closer collaboration between government agencies and private sector to fight rising cases of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC).

Professor Louie Montemar, convenor of Bantay Konsyumer, Kalsada, Kuryente  (BK3), said the worsening OSAEC situation in the country needs the full attention of both the government and the private sector.

“We can only be truly digitally ready if we can guarantee the safety of our online spaces, especially for our children,” Montemar said in a recent virtual conference hosted by Globe Telecom in partnership with UNICEF Philippines, Internet Watch Foundation and BK3.

Government revealed last year that transaction reports related to online sexual exploitation rose from 19,000 in 2019 to 47,937 in 2020 when mobility restrictions were imposed to halt the pandemic. The median age of those involved in these transactions is 11.

According to consumer watchdog CitizenWatch, the Philippines is a center of child sex abuse materials production in the world, with 80 percent of Filipino children vulnerable to OSAEC.

Tim Abejo, co-convenor of CitizenWatch, said there are existing laws against OSAEC, but their implementation and execution need to be strengthened by the government with the help of the private sector.

Government collaboration with the private sector – including Internet service providers, social media platforms and online content providers – should be fortified to detect and prevent OSAEC instead of being cowed by fear of violating data privacy and cybersecurity laws, according to Abejo.

“A system must be in place where they will be empowered to report OSAEC offenders to the proper authorities,” Abejo said.