Senate OKs on 3rd reading bill expanding govt protection for children vs online sexual abuse

Senate OKs on 3rd reading bill expanding govt protection for children vs online sexual abuse

VOTING 23-0, the Senate on Thursday approved on third and final reading a bill that expands government protection for children against online sexual abuse and exploitation.

The senators unanimously passed Senate Bill (SB) 2209 or the proposed Special Protections Against Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) Law, or the Anti-OSAEC Law.

Sen. Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros, sponsor of SB 2209, said that the measure updates existing laws “to better protect children against acts of sexual violence, abuse and exploitation in the online sphere.”

“It is time that we put an end to the rampant online sexual abuse and exploitation of children in the country,” said the chairman of the Senate Committee on Women and Children.

“Let’s make sure that there will be no more predators and abusers who will be able to avoid our laws, and that there will be no more child victims subjected to such horrible acts,” Hontiveros said.

SB 2209 expands the coverage of the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009 (RA 9775) and plugs gaps in the law by defining and penalizing OSAEC as a separate crime from those punished under current laws like the Special Protection of Children against Abuse, Exploitation and Discriminaton Law (RA 7610) and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act (RA 9208).

In explaining his vote, Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, said, “While the cyberspace has its benefits, it also has its harms, including the crimes of online sexual abuse and exploitation not just of grown adults but also of our beloved children.”

Sen. Emmanuel Joel Villanueva said, “Many of us here are parents, I do not think that anyone can disagree that this fight against sexual abuse and exploitation of children is personal to us all. We will continue to fight until our children are safe.”

“Sadly, the Philippine has become one of the global hotspots of child sexual abuse and exploitation,” Hontiveros said following the passage of SB 2209.

She lamented that according to the Unicef (United Nations Childrens Fund) back in 2016, the Philippines was “one of the top 10 countries producing child sexual abuse and exploitation materials.”

“This problem has only gotten worse with the Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic, since OSAEC cases reportedly increased by 264.6 percent,” Hontiveros said.

“As a solo mother of four, I know the feeling of helplessness when my own children become the subject of cyber attacks and bullying,” she said.

She continued, “I can only imagine it is worse for parents who have to deal with anonymous predators who may be sexually abusing and exploiting their children.”

“The law also strengthens support and tools for our law enforcement officers to leave no stone unturned when bringing perpetrators of OSAEC to justice,” Hontiveros said.

“It makes tech (technology) giants and social media networks accountable for crimes that happen in their own backyard,” she stressed.

It bans convicted perpetrators of OSAEC in other countries from entering the Philippines. It even requires government to create an online sex offenders registry in the country.