CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday, September 3, established three “Justice Zones” in the Northern Mindanao cities of Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, and Ozamiz to coordinate government efforts in combating the online sexual exploitation of children.
Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo said the “Justice Zone” initiative is a collaborative effort where the SC, along with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), can coordinate and streamline efforts against the online sexual exploitation of children, which has surged in the Philippines, making it a hotspot for virtual child pornography.
“The final point is that this crime targets the most vulnerable in our society – those whom our systems and institutions of justice, care, and protection are supposed to prioritize and safeguard,” Gesmundo said.
Gesmundo noted that the DOJ received a staggering report of 2.74 million cyber tips on online child pornography in the country, making the Philippines second only to India.
The Philippines was also identified as a global center for Child Sexual Abuse Material production by the International Justice Mission (IJM), a global organization dedicated to protecting people in poverty from violence.
Nearly half a million Filipino children have been abused and exploited to produce images, videos, and livestreams for sale to offenders worldwide, according to Associate Justice Maria Filomena Singh, who cited statistics.
“These horrifying statistics mean that one in every 100 Filipino children is a victim,” Singh said.
The IJM reported that most international sex offenders lure children, often in collusion with their Filipino parents, to perform on live-streams on the internet or to provide images and videos online.
The organization also said that nearly a quarter of a million Filipino adults are involved in trafficking children to produce new child sexual exploitation materials.
“It is relatively easy to detect the manufacture of online child pornography by monitoring internet usage and international money transfers. Often, it is the parents or relatives who are involved,” Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla said.
Officials cited as an example the July 21 arrest of a woman by the Iligan City Task Force against Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children. She was arrested for allegedly “using, persuading, inducing, engaging, directing, and facilitating” six children in the village of Suarez, Iligan.
The six children, three of whom were the suspect’s own, were turned over to the Iligan City Social Work and Development Office.
“Clearly, we cannot let this continue – and we will not allow it to continue,” Gesmundo said.
Gesmundo said it was a challenge because government prosecutors and law enforcement agencies struggle to cope with the complexity of the crime involving technology.
He said this is why “Justice Zones” were established in Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, and Ozamiz, where there have been several reports of online child pornography.
“It goes beyond the victims-survivors who are exploited for sexual purposes using information and communications technology. There are demand-side perpetrators and supply-side perpetrators, as well as financial transactions. These factors highlight the difficulty,” Gesmundo said.
“Justice Zones” were also launched in other key cities across the country, including Cebu, Iloilo, Baguio, and Davao. – Rappler.com
