Manila, the Philippines: Parents who force their children into engaging in cybersex will face the force of the law, the palace warned amid concerns that the illicit trade will tarnish this the country’s image.
“A reminder to parents: they can be prosecuted for doing that,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda replied when asked in an interview aired over on state-run radio station dzRB if parents who push or permit their children into engage in child sex can be punished.
Lacierda, a lawyer, said laws exists to protect minors who unwittingly take part in such acts, however, he said, it is a different matter for parents who willingly force their child to participate.
Reports said authorities have busted an international syndicate streaming live sex videos of children, including Filipino minors. The ring was dismantled following months of surveillance by British, Australian and Philippine law enforcers. See: Cybersex A Phillipine Cottage Industry.
The programme, called Under Operation Endeavour started two years ago and involved a dozen nations. The operation was responsible for the recent arrests of 29 people, including 11 in the Philippines.
Senior Superintendent Gilbert Sosa, head of the Philippine police’s anti-cybercrime unit, was quoted in reports as saying that the authorities had found out that the parents of the victimised children were involved in forcing the minors to engage in cybersex.
Sosa said poverty had been the main reason why parents submit their own children to such online abuse.
On the part of Lacierda, the practice of parents using their own children as pawns for such abuse “is not acceptable” as it is their role to raise them into upstanding citizens.
In November 2013, another ruse was used to catch child abusers. Dutch anti-trafficking NGO, Terre des Hommes Netherlands, used a computer-generated image of a 10-year-old Filipino child, named Sweetie, in its campaign against human trafficking.
See: Sweetie Sting nets 1000.
Sweetie trapped paedophiles that scoured Internet webcam chatrooms to find young children to victimise. The project resulted in the identification of around 1,000 potential paedophiles from 65 countries.
While the Philippines had committed to cooperate with international bodies to catch and prosecute such child abusers and put an end to child trafficking, Lacierda expressed concern over the country’s rapidly evolving image as a haven for paedophiles.
According to Lacierda, appropriate agencies are expected to work closely together against cybersex, including coordinating with tourist establishments.
He said that the country’s tourism industry is a concern for the government because it has to protect minors while trying to avoiding attaching a negative label onto the country.
“A reminder to parents: they can be prosecuted for doing that,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda replied when asked in an interview aired over on state-run radio station dzRB if parents who push or permit their children into engage in child sex can be punished.
Lacierda, a lawyer, said laws exists to protect minors who unwittingly take part in such acts, however, he said, it is a different matter for parents who willingly force their child to participate.
Reports said authorities have busted an international syndicate streaming live sex videos of children, including Filipino minors. The ring was dismantled following months of surveillance by British, Australian and Philippine law enforcers. See: Cybersex A Phillipine Cottage Industry.
The programme, called Under Operation Endeavour started two years ago and involved a dozen nations. The operation was responsible for the recent arrests of 29 people, including 11 in the Philippines.
Senior Superintendent Gilbert Sosa, head of the Philippine police’s anti-cybercrime unit, was quoted in reports as saying that the authorities had found out that the parents of the victimised children were involved in forcing the minors to engage in cybersex.
Sosa said poverty had been the main reason why parents submit their own children to such online abuse.
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| Terre des Hommes |
In November 2013, another ruse was used to catch child abusers. Dutch anti-trafficking NGO, Terre des Hommes Netherlands, used a computer-generated image of a 10-year-old Filipino child, named Sweetie, in its campaign against human trafficking.
See: Sweetie Sting nets 1000.
Sweetie trapped paedophiles that scoured Internet webcam chatrooms to find young children to victimise. The project resulted in the identification of around 1,000 potential paedophiles from 65 countries.
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| Sweetie, avatar |
According to Lacierda, appropriate agencies are expected to work closely together against cybersex, including coordinating with tourist establishments.
He said that the country’s tourism industry is a concern for the government because it has to protect minors while trying to avoiding attaching a negative label onto the country.
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