Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 9) — A lawmaker says channels for reporting child abuse cases must be strengthened in light of the return of hard lockdowns due to the Delta coronavirus threat.
“Ngayong marami ang nakakulong ulit sa mga bahay, dapat talasan ng mga barangay at LGUs ang pagbabantay,” said Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Monday, flagging the possible rise in child abuse and exploitation given strict stay-at-home orders amid stricter quarantine measures.
[Translation: Now that more people are holed up in their homes, barangays and LGUs should sharpen surveillance.]
Hontiveros — who chairs the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family, Relations, and Gender Equality — added local governments must also be ready to provide psychosocial support for victim-survivors reporting their sexual abuse.
“Hindi lang online sexual abuse of children ang pataas nang pataas ngayong pandemya, maaaring domestic sexual abuse of children ay pataas din,” lamented the senator.
[Translation: It’s not only online sexual abuse of the children that’s on the rise amid this pandemic but it could be their domestic sexual abuse as well.]
The Department of Justice last year said reports of children being sexually exploited online more than tripled in March to May 2020 while several portions of the country were on lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19.
It said it received 279,166 reports of child sexual exploitation online during that period from the United States-based non-profit organization National Center for Missing and Exploited Children or the NCMEC — 264.6 percent higher than the 76,561 reports received from the center for the same period the previous year. NMEC is allowed by US law to receive reports from electronic communication service providers like Facebook and Gmail.
In a separate statement, Philippine National Police chief PGEN Guillermo Eleazar ordered the Women and Children Protection Center (WCPC) and Anti-Cybercrime Group (AGC) to enforce measures against violence against women and children (VAWC) amid the declaration of enhanced community quarantine in areas like Metro Manila.
“Medyo kumplikado ang isyu ng domestic violence dahil nangyayari ito sa loob ng tahanan kung saan off-limits na ang inyong kapulisan,” said Eleazar, who cited online platforms like E-Sumbong and the PNP’s social media accounts the public may use to relay their concerns.
[Translation: The issue of domestic violence is quite complicated because it happens inside the home where your police is off-limits.]
Both Eleazar and Hontiveros urged citizens to help report possible instances of child abuse especially amid ECQ.
Metro Manila is currently under ECQ from August 6 to 20.
