ONLINE nline sexual exploitation is a growing form of human trafficking in the Philippines. It is on top of the list that also includes seafarers, domestic workers and tourists looking for work abroad.
Speaking on the sidelines of the second International Dialogue on Human Trafficking at the Asian Institute of Management in Makati City, Justice Secretary Emmanuel Caparas said the Philippines and Mexico are ranked as the top source countries producing and distributing child pornography.
In the event attended by the diplomatic community, including ambassadors from Australia, the Netherlands, Singapore and the United Kingdom, Caparas feigned ignorance, and claimed he does not know the reason behind it.
Netherlands Ambassador Marion Derckx, however, gave an explanation.
“I can tell. English,” she said.
Online child exploitation is rising in the country and Mexico because it is conducted mostly in English.
Caparas then linked technology as the culprit for the spread of online sexual child exploitation, saying: “Being online is harder to trace, harder to track, easier to distribute.”
“From what you have heard, you do not have to move around too much to be able to use technology to perpetuate this kind of crime. You can be in one location then bring the victims there,” he added.
Caparas said the crime is very difficult to detect and, once detected, the perpetuators are hard to catch.
Commercial child pornography is when users pay to have access to or can download abusive materials. It is said to be one of the fastest-growing Internet crimes with estimated annual revenue of $3 billion.
Child pornography and online exploitation of children is a transnational organized crime.
Paul Hawkins, senior police officer, Australian Embassy, said they also have their own problems with online child exploitation.
“It is also true around the world, including Australia, which is very embarrassing to admit,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins’s embarrassment stems from the sad record of fellow Australian, Peter Gerard Scully, an Australian child molester arrested in the Philippines after fleeing Melbourne.
In Mindanao he is alleged to have run an international pedophile ring and offered pay-per-view video streams of children being tortured and sexually abused.
Hawkins said there are more than 50 agencies working to combat online child abuse since so many aspect need to be targeted.
Hawkins enumerated the ways to combat online child exploitation which includes targeted prevention campaigns at the local level.
He said Non-governmental organizations and private initiatives, including the government, must be able to provide sustainable livelihood for development programs alternatives.
“Like corruption, the enablers do it due to lack of remuneration, they are doing it for money,” Hawkins said.
Derckx, on the other hand, reveals how they detect or identify red flags linking the smuggling of seafarers.
“As an embassy, we happened to get involved in human trafficking because many Filipinos ask for visa in the embassy and that is where we saw signs of human trafficking,” she said.
She said once the “red flag” is identified, they coordinate with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the Department of Foreign Affairs.
“We found signs in different places and it grew. That resulted in the Manila dialogue last year. We happened to get involved last year because of the Philippine government, all agencies and NGOs being so open,” she said.
Amsterdam and Rotterdam are homes to the largest Filipino communities of seafarers.
Derckx said that through the Internet, online abuse of children is the newest phenomenon and the Netherlands play a role in trying to combat the crime, which she said surfaced only through international cooperation.
She was referring to Scully, whose activities were discovered by the Dutch police in 2014, when they found very violent imagery, such as photos and films, during an investigation.
Meanwhile, Singapore Ambassador to the Philippines Kok Li Peng said her country—already known for its harsh laws against various offenses—is governed by robust laws, strong border control and intra-agencies cooperation.
“We are committed to combating this crime,” she said, while adding that they have placed a National Action Plan that stretches all the way to 2026.
“We have adopted the prevention of human trafficking act and signed and ratified the United Nations protocol,” Li Peng said.
She said prevention, prosecution, protection and partnership are the four Ps that anchors Singapore’s contributions to combat crimes against trafficking in persons.
Li Peng added that stiff penalty for offenders and hefty fines are strong deterrence against such serious crimes.
Image credits: Alysa Salen