THE COMMISSION on Human Rights urged the public to report online accounts and other virtual channels exploiting children.

“It takes a community to raise a child, all the more with the uncertainties of growing up in a tech-savvy generation,” CHR Executive Director Jacqueline Ann de Guia said in a statement.

She called on Filipinos to be digital guardians “to make online spaces inclusive and safe for all—most especially for the vulnerable, most especially for children.”

Senator Risa Hontiveros earlier warned that some online groups and channels openly engage in digital sexual abuse and exploitation of children.

Hontiveros said that predators use social media platforms to advertise, sell and trade photos and videos of minors, some of which are large enough in volume to require the services of cloud storage.

“We reiterate that this is a heinous crime that tramples over the rights of minors, and causes lifelong consequences to victims and their families,” De Guia said.

She admitted that the fight against a complex digital network of perpetrators requires a holistic approach.

“Fortifying media and information literacy especially amid the implementation of virtual and blended learning is a must to teach users to be on alert against the dangers of the web,” the official said.

“Efforts to make defense and complaints mechanisms accessible to everyone must also be prioritized in order to provide ample support for victims of cyber trafficking, most especially children and their families,” she added.

De Guia echoed support for Senate Bill 2209 or the Anti-Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children Law.

The measure aims to strengthen the role of law enforcement in pursuing offenders as well as improve government coordination and response through the establishment of the National Coordinating Center against OSAEC under the Inter-Agency Council against Trafficking.