DAVAO WOMEN’S rights advocates have called on the public especially the parents to be watchful on the rising cases of pedophilia and online sexual abuses that can victimize their young children.
These concerns on pedophilia and sexual abuses on children online have been given emphasis during the launch of the 18-day Campaign to End Violence Against Women in Davao City where officials and representatives from the national and local government offices, non-government organizations and private sector joined in the culminating activity at People’s Park.
Atty. Romeo Cabarde, Jr., director of Ateneo de Davao University’s Center Against Illegal Drugs (CAID), raised the emerging concern on pedophilia, saying that “hundreds and thousands of our children have fallen prey to perverts who gratify themselves through child sexual abuse.”
As defined by the Philippine Statistics Authority, pedophilia is an act of psycho-sexual perversion deriving gratification from child sexual abuse.
“Let us all together launch as well an all-out battle against pedophilia… They have taken advantage of the innocence and vulnerability of a child whose only dream is to be the person that they want to be,” Cabarde stated.
He cited a story of alias Jennifer, 14 years old from Sultan Kudarat, who was forced by her mother to entertain foreigners online by stripping naked on the sight of foreigners for a few thousand pesos.
“We need to be present in the lives of our children to shield them on the ills of pedophilia. We need a stricter and more thorough law enforcement so that those who are responsible will bear the fullest extent of the law,” Cabarde emphasized.
Talikala Inc. Executive Director Jeanette Ampog said that sexual abuse has also already gone online. “This is the new platform of sexual abuse and exploitation of children because technology is used. The Philippines is the number one source of child pornography in the world. Philippines is the number one visitor of porn hub.”
Ampog disclosed that a lot of children self-generate nude pictures and post online, adding that there are also children who are exposed to child pornographic materials through pisonet and their mobile phones.
“Electronic-generated sexual abuses and exploitation of children are the hardest to address because the mobile phones are personal,” she stated.
She cited that Cordova, Cebu is known for producing live stream child pornographic videos, as well as Iligan. “Davao City is not exempted. We have cases of online abuse and exploitation of children which involved family members and facilitators,” she added.
Ampog explained that the process would usually involve the child as the victim and the facilitator who is usually a family member serves as the intermediary between the victim and the foreign customer.
She raised the challenges on how to get the cooperation of money transfer companies where the foreign clients would send the payment, and on how to ask the barangay to be vigilant with the pisonet which is the first medium where the young children are exposed on child pornography.
“How would we ask our local government units to pass a local ordinance or local policy that will protect our children from online sexual abuse and exploitation? How will we ask our parents to be aware of what are the risks and benefits of technology?” she said.
Ampog warned the children to be doubly careful online “because a lot of predators are using the technology to abuse and exploit children.”
At the kick-off program of the 18-day Campaign to End Violence Against Women on Monday (Nov. 25) as spearheaded by Davao City LGU’s Integrated Gender and Development Division (IGDD) and Department of Tourism (DOT-XI), women and men advocates continued to espouse on women’s rights and protection against all forms of abuses.
“We launch this kick-off event, again, to remind the public that it is not only the obligation of the state, or the non-government organizations and the academe, but it is our own obligation as well that we have to do something to end all forms of abuses against women. And one day we will attain a VAW-free community or gender-fair society,” stated IGDD chief Lorna Mandin.
DOT-XI Regional Director Tanya Rabat-Tan urged, “Each of us can do something to end VAW. Every little act counts. We can help end VAW by never committing VAW, never condoning VAW; never remaining silent about VAW; and helping those who are victims of VAW. Let’s all say VAW-free community starts with me!”
In her message read by Councilor Richlyn Baguilod of the Committee on Women and Children, Davao City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte said, “We can avoid becoming victims of violence by always being observant or our surroundings especially when we sense a hint of looming violence or when we observe its repetition. We can avoid becoming victims of violence by valuing ourselves, by knowing our worth as individuals.” (By Carina Cayon)