Online Sexual Exploitation of children (OSEC) has been on the rise, and as Region VII Field Office Director John Tanagho of the International Justice Mission (IJM) said, Philippines — specifically Cebu — is the hotspot of this global threat.
Recently, IJM and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) jointly organised the 2018 Visayas Prayer Gathering at Robinsons Galleria on December 6, where they also reported updates on their progress to combat OSEC in Cebu.
The Visayas Prayer Gathering is an annual event that IJM holds, with invitation extending to all their involved partners. One of the key attendants of the gathering this year were men and women from the Inter-Agency Council Against Human Trafficking (IACAT).
Currently, the IACAT has been tasked to stay alert when it comes to all things OSEC, and to tackle it accordingly, with the different agencies that have partnered Currently, the IACAT has been tasked to stay alert when it comes to all things OSEC, and to tackle it accordingly, with the different agencies that have partnered together at its disposal — the PNP Women and Children’s Protection Center (WCPC), the NBI Anti-Human Trafficking Division (AHTRAD), the Cordova LGU, and the DSWD, to name a few.
“The bad news is that OSEC is the worst form of violence against women and children, with children violated being 12 years old and even younger,” says Mr. John Tanagho. But there is also good news — 415 victims have already been rescued, thanks to inter-agency cooperation.
“It was only possible because all these partners came together and worked as one.”
Despite the progress that they’ve made, there are still many predators out there, often in first world countries, ready to wire money to the Philippines for their viewing pleasure.
An estimate of 72% of the perpetrators are people they trust, like neighbours, close friends, relatives, or even parents of the victims.
Regarding the IACAT, Mr. John Tanagho had this to say: “Now that we’re working together to combat sexual exploitation of children, more than ever, we need to work closely together in this fight… we must be one team in one fight.”
While none of the survivors of OSEC were present at the gathering, it is clear from the reports that the children who have been rescued from this form of abuse bear scars they will carry throughout their lives.
Due to poverty, some perpetrators have rationalised that it is alright to abuse their own child for profit. But from the children themselves, worse than the physical and emotional pain they’ve been dealt with was the betrayal by those who they thought they could trust.
In this ongoing fight against OSEC, the IACAT implores everyone to remain alert for suspicious activity and to report this immediately through the proper avenues.
