Category Archives:Strength CTIP
NEWS UPDATE: "Not today,OSEC." share
‘Trapped with abusers,’ 7 kids rescued from sex trafficker in Luzon’
One unintended consequence of [the lockdown] is that vulnerable children are being trapped with abusers and traffickers in their homes,’ says the International Justice Mission
MANILA, Philippines – Police arrested on Wednesday, April 22, a 25-year-old woman allegedly engaged in cybersex trafficking of minors, including her own children, in an undisclosed province in Luzon.
Rescued from the suspect’s house were 7 children, all but one of them male, ages 3 to 14. Four of them are the suspect’s children.
“We assure the public – and warn criminals – that our mandate to safeguard Filipino children from online sexual exploitation remains despite the community quarantines in effect around the country,” said Brigadier General Alessandro Abella, who heads the Philippine National Police (PNP) Women and Children Protection Center (WCPC).
It was the second police operation against online sexual exploitation of children or OSEC during the coronavirus lockdown imposed by President Rodrigo Duterte on Luzon since mid-March.
The PNP’s WCPC and Anti-Cybercrime Group conducted the raid with support from the United States Homeland Security Investigations and the International Justice Mission (IJM).
“We recognize lockdowns as an important step to contain the coronavirus, but we also acknowledge that one unintended consequence of this is that vulnerable children are being trapped with abusers and traffickers in their homes,” IJM Philippines director Samson Inocencio Jr was quoted in a statement.
Member organizations of the Child Rights Network (CRN) Philippines had earlier sounded the alarm on the potential rise of OSEC during the coronavirus lockdown.
Another arrest in Cebu
The WCPC’s field unit in the Visayas arrested on April 6 another suspected online sex trafficker in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.
Police secured an arrest warrant against the suspect, a woman, and her live-in partner in February. Her victim – who was abused from the age of 11 to 13 – was her first cousin who was rescued in 2019.
The suspect allegedly live streamed the sexual abuse of her cousin to a foreign sex offender in exchange for money. She was charged for producing and distributing child sexual exploitation materials.
If you come across any suspected case of online sexual exploitation of children, text ENDOSEC (space) (incident details) to 7444-64 for Smart network subscribers. You may also call the action line of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking at 1343, or the WCPC at (032) 410-8483 for the Visayas, and 0917-180-6037 or 0928-604-6425 in Mindanao. – Rappler.com
Source: https://www.rappler.com/nation/258987-trapped-with-abusers-children-rescued-from-sex-trafficker-luzon
NEWS UPDATE share
“Human trafficking and COVID-19”
By: Marielle DSJ Chico
The impact of COVID-19 is not confined to sickness and death.
The shutdown of major economic sectors and the prohibition of social activities leaves the vast majority of Filipinos without a source of income and very limited means to socialize. According to We Are Social’s Global Digital Report 2019 , 71 percent of the Philippine population spend an average of four hours a day on social media. The percentage and the hours could be much higher in these times of quarantine. The lack of income and being locked into social media can lead to dangerous situations.
One of the growing concerns in the country is the increase of online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC) cases. According to the “Child Trafficking Situationer” of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), 65 percent of persons trafficked were women and 21 percent were children. More alarmingly, the Philippines is considered as a top global source of child pornography, with around 80 percent of Filipino kids at risk of online sexual abuse or bullying (UNICEF report, 2017).
A recent article by the Thomson Reuters Foundation entitled “Coronavirus fuels cybersex trafficking fears for children in Southeast Asia” points out that the ongoing pandemic and the consequent lockdowns are expected to cause an increase in the number of cybersex trafficking cases in Southeast Asia. UNICEF warns that an increase in online exposure for 1.5 million children is expected with the closing of schools in at least 165 countries. This puts children at a high risk of being victimized by sexual predators.
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