SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian urged the government to sustain the momentum of its crackdown on online sexual abuse and exploitation of children or OSAEC.

Gatchalian said the government is better equipped to combat OSAEC as well as other forms of child trafficking and abuse after the enactment of the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2022 and the Anti-Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials Act.

“Bahagi ng pagtataguyod natin sa kaligtasan at kapakanan ng mga kabataan ang pagtiyak sa kaligtasan ng internet, lalo na’t ginagamit ito para sa iba’t ibang uri ng karahasan at pang-aabuso. Nitong mga nakaraang buwan ay naipasa natin ang mga mahahalagang batas upang paigtingin ang pagsugpo sa pang-aabuso sa ating mga kabataan gamit ang internet,” Gatchalian said.

A study entitled “Disrupting Harm in the Philippines: Evidence on Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse” said that 20 percent of internet-using children aged 12-17 were victims of grave instances of online sexual exploitation and abuse in the past year.

The study surveyed 950 children and when these findings are scaled to the population, up to 2 million children were subjected to these harms last year.

Based on the study, the experiences of victims include being blackmailed or coerced to engage in sexual activities. Most of the victims were promised money and gifts.

The Department of Justice reported in 2021 that it has received more than 2.8 million reports of online sexual exploitation of children, more than twice the nearly 1.3 million reports in 2020.

Last year, the department launched official investigations on 268 OSEC cases, almost four times the 73 cases handled in 2020.