Prosecutors not trained for child abuse cases

Prosecutors not trained for child abuse cases

THE United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children on Thursday said Philippine prosecutors lack the training in handling child sexual abuse cases and recommended the creation of a special prosecution unit to address the issue.

In a press briefing following a two-week official visit to the country, Mama Fatimah Singhateh also noted there are no child-specific courts.

Singhateh said that while the Philippine government has made progress in improving policy, legal and institutional framework in addressing sexual child exploitation, it remains a source and destination country for child trafficking, forced marriage, labor and sexual exploitation.

Singhateh said she ends her visit on a “very positive and optimistic note” and will come up with a report that will assist the country in improving to campaign against the sale and sexual exploitation of children.

She said the sale and sexual exploitation of children require a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach focusing on the care, rehabilitation, and reintegration of victims.

She also recommended bridging gaps in data, increasing attention to travel and tourism-related sexual exploitation, and distinguishing between child trafficking and sale of children for sexual exploitation.

Singhateh also acknowledged the difficulty in assessing child marriage without having any data, but said it still happens among some ethnic groups and minorities.

She said the problem of illegal adoption in the Philippines through the use of simulation of births.

Other issues she noted included teenage pregnancies; economic disparities and exclusion of indigenous ethnic minority children; discrimination on LGBTQ children.

Singhateh also pointed out there are no trained officials at the village level to receive reports of child exploitation.

“I am concerned that local government and politics negatively impact child protection structure due to regular changes of personnel,” she said.

In his meeting with Singhateh Thursday, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said he raised the urgency of coming out with the implementing rules and regulations for the SIM Card Registration law, which he said will be useful in combatting online sexual abuse and exploitation of children.

Remulla also pointed out the need to stop payment schemes for the online sexual exploitation of children which are outside the scope of the money laundering law because of the small amounts involved.

He said he told Singhateh the Marcos administration is determined to remove the Philippines’ reputation as the leader in child sexual exploitation.