Interview: Gina Ferrer Castro Social Welfare Officer-phone patch

1) How rampant are the cases of sexual abuse of children in Bacolod City?
2) What are the measures that your office implements to counter this problem?
3) What interventions do you provide for rescued victims?
4) Is there a prevalence of online sexual exploitation of Children in Bacolos city?
5) What do you think are the main causes of this problem?
6) What advise can you give our listeners to help combat child sexual abuse and online sexual
exploitation?

Brgys told: Enforce law vs. child abuse

Visayan Daily Star | December 11, 2019

The Protection of Children in Dumaguete City has raised concern on foreigners seen in the company of
girls of minor age in establishments along Rizal Boulevard in the city, recently.

Prosecutor Lalaine Cimafranca of the City Prosecutor's Office urged barangay officials to pass a
resolution requiring business establishments to implement the law on the special protection of children
against abuse, or Republic Act 7610.

Under the law, it is illegal for “any person to keep or have in his company a minor, 12 years or younger,
or who is 10 years or more his junior in any public or private place, hotel, motel, beer joint, discotheque,
cabaret, pension house, sauna or massage parlor, beach and/or other tourist resort, or similar place”
unless there are family ties or some other legal bond or obligation involved.

Cimafranca said the businesses or tourist establishments should post warnings and notices on the law
that penalizes anyone caught in the company of a minor in a hotel, bar or similar place, unless they can
prove to be of familial relations or show any legal document.

Those found guilty of violating the law faces a fine of P50,000 and jail term of six years and one day to
12 years, under RA 7610.

In a series of advocacy campaigns on anti-violence of children, Cimafranca reminded barangay officials

of their grave duty and responsibility to prevent child abuse in their areas.

Prosecutor May Flor Duka said those who have knowledge of a crime being committed against children
and failed to report it to authorities is committing a crime him/herself.

Duka lamented that the culture of silence and impunity that protects perpetrators is rooted in the
values of a community and sometimes blaming the victims give criminals the chance to abuse more
children.

Social worker Roselyn Frejoles of the Dumaguete City Social Welfare and Development Office said there
were 47 child sexual abuse cases recorded in the city from January to November this year.

The number is higher compared to the 33 cases of child sexual abuse recorded in the same period last
year.

Frejoles noted that the increase can be attributed to the heightened campaign against child abuse in the
barangays and schools.

She added that the record this year showed that incest topped the cases of sexual abuse, followed by
acts of lasciviousness in 20 barangays in the city.

Some issues on violence against children raised during the forums include “pisonet” (coin-operated
computers) machines operating in the barangays that do not have blocking programs against
pornographic websites, allowing minors access to them; children being used as illegal drug peddlers or
children in conflict with the law, abandoned, and neglected, among others.

Poverty fueling online sexual exploitation of Filipino children: NGO coalition

ABS-CBN News | Dec 1, 2019

A coalition of six international nongovernment organizations has called for stronger implementation of
laws and programs seeking to protect children in the Philippines following challenges in fully immunizing
children, cases of online sexual exploitation, and gaps in delivering quality education.
In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, NGO
coalition Joining Forces Philippines released a report summarizing the current situation of Filipino
children.

The coalition includes ChildFund Alliance, Plan International, Save the Children, SOS Children’s Villages,
Terre des Hommes, and World Vision.

ONLINE SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN

Despite laws seeking to make the internet a safe place, the report said the government “has yet to show
significant results” in curbing commercial sexual exploitation of children, especially online.

It cited data showing over 600,000 tips of images and videos of naked, sexualized and abused Filipino
children received by the Department of Justice in 2018. This figure is 1,300 percent higher compared to
the 45,645 recorded in 2017.

According to the US State Department Trafficking in Persons Report of 2019, of the thousands of reports
in 2018, only 27 perpetrators of online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC) were convicted.

“Due to the laxity of the implementation of extant laws against online child exploitation, and the
pervasiveness and ease of access to devices that are needed to facilitate interactions, it is easy for
perpetrators to lure children into OSEC,” the report said.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development added that poverty is the “major driving factor” for
online sexual abuse among children.

“Most children become victims because of their parents and they are pushed to doing this, mainly
because of the issue on poverty,” Maricel Deloria, DSWD’s Assistant Bureau Director for Program
Management said.

To address the root of the problem, Deloria said the agency implements sustainable livelihood
programs, which seek to assist poor families. The DSWD also holds parenting effectivity seminars that
tackle OSEC, for beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

The DOJ, meanwhile, clarified that the number of sexualized and abused Filipino children online is less
than the number of tips it received.

“Hindi ibig sabihin na mayroong 600,000 na bata ‘yung may kaso ng online sexual exploitation… Every
time na mashe-share siya, it’s counted as one. So pwedeng 10,000 lang ‘yan, 5,000 lang ‘yung incidents,”
DOJ Assistant Secretary George Ortha II explained.

(It doesn't mean there are 600,000 children complained of online sexual exploitation. Every time the
case is shared, it is counted as one. So it could be 10,000 or 5,000 incidents.)

Ortha stressed that apart from the effective implementation of laws on OSEC, the community also has a
huge role to play in preventing online sexual exploitation of children.

“Hindi ito kaya ng gobyerno lamang. Bawat isang tao kailangan makipagtulungan. (Kung) mayroon kang
makita, i-report mo,” he said.

(Government can't handle this on its own. Everyone should coordinate. If you see something, report it.)

Ortha added that financial institutions may also be of help in tracking down OSEC perpetrators by
providing information on suspicious money transfers.

The group recommended the conduct of a national assessment of OSEC according to context,
prevalence, and children’s perspectives, in order to serve as baseline information for a campaign against
online exploitation.

It also urged the Department of Information and Communications Technology to build its capacity in
policing the internet. According to the report, a “child helpline”, which is a dedicated desk in key cities
and municipalities, will enable victims and their kin to easily report cases and follow up on
investigations.

CHILDREN AS COLLATERAL DAMAGE IN THE DRUG WAR

The coalition underscored the need for the DOJ to set up child-friendly services, as it noted that
“children have not been safe” from the government’s war on drugs.

At least 74 children died in the anti-illegal drugs campaign as of December 2017, according to the
Children’s Legal Rights and Development Center.

Joining Forces Philippines, meanwhile, puts the estimated number of children orphaned by the drug war
at more than 32,000.

The coalition said child victims of the anti-illegal drugs campaign have been called “collateral damage”.

“Ang gobyerno naman natin, basta mayroong ebidensya laban doon sa mga pulis, hindi naman natin
tino-tolerate,” Ortha assured.

(Our government doesn't tolerate police abuses, especially when there's evidence.)

GAPS IN DELIVERING QUALITY EDUCATION

Ensuring quality basic education continues to be a challenge under the new K-to-12 curriculum,
according to Joining Forces Philippines.

It cited the average scores on National Achievement Test for Grade 6 and Grade 10 students, which are
at less than 50 percent. These are below the Department of Education’s target of 75 percent.
Observations from various groups also noted that “there seems to be a significant number of struggling
readers even at Grade 6 levels”.

Among the factors seen to “erode quality teaching” is the magnitude of administrative and student
support roles assigned to teachers. The report also considers “problematic” the metrics for measuring
teachers’ performance.

“They are evaluated based on zero dropout rates and not on the actual quality of learning of students.
Incentives provided to teachers without drop-out students create temptations for teachers to adjust
standards on student promotion,” it said. The alleged underutilization of the education budget and the
failure to pass the positive discipline bill were also seen as challenges.

The report recommended “proper funding” for the development of training manuals and educational
materials. It said that the DepEd must put a premium on implementing best practices and time-tested
programs, as it echoed calls for a comprehensive review of the K-12 curriculum.

“DepEd needs to further look into the “struggling readers” problem and implement a multi-pronged
approach to solve it, including peer-to-peer tutoring, mobilizing partners and other development actors,
and institutionalizing localized after-school reading programs,” the report added.

It also urged the DepEd to build more schools, noting that congestion affects the quality of education.
The report further recommended schools to consider easing the administrative burden on teachers.

IMMUNIZATION AND TEENAGE PREGNANCY

Fully immunizing children in the Philippines has become a health challenge, following the Dengvaxia
controversy. The report cited data from the Department of Health, which said the rate of immunized
children declined to 66.1 percent in 2018 from 69.84 percent in 2016. The figure is below the national
target of 95 percent.

“The DOH has pointed to this trend as one of the major causes of the prevalence of communicable
diseases and rapid changes in trends on epidemics including polio and dengue,” the report said.

“The DOH has pointed to “vaccine hesitance” or the “delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite
availability of vaccination services” as being one of the primary causes of this national setback,” it
added.

Another challenge identified in the report is the “alarming prevalence” of teenage pregnancy in the
country. The 2017 National Demographic and Health Survey revealed that 1 in 10 women age 15 to 19
years have begun childbearing.

The report recommended a clear program that will address teenage pregnancy, which includes the
provision for child and adolescent-friendly reproductive services. “A more coordinated effort with the
Department of Education to address teenage pregnancy for in-school and out-of-school adolescents is
also valuable,” it added.

Meanwhile, the report recommended more aggressive, time-tested, and proven effective programs and
projects to promote vaccination. It also stressed the need for sufficient funding for health programs.