GABRIELA Women’s Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas has filed a resolution urging the proper committee in the House to conduct an inquiry on the alarming cases of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children and of gender-based violence in the wake of technological advancements and the emergence of Artificial Intelligence.

In her House Resolution 1632, Brosas cited records of the Philippine National Police Crime Incident Reporting and Analysis System, stating that there were 19,635 cases of violence against women and children from January to August 2023.

“Women and children become even more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, as mobile applications that create simulations of seemingly real women, including replicating their facial and body structures have become rampant in social media,” Brosas said.

“We’ve received reports of mobile apps on Facebook and other social media platforms promoting sexual innuendos and objectifying women. These apps normalize harmful attitudes and fuel gender-based violence and exploitation,” she added.

The country is still a global hot spot for financially motivated development of live-streamed child sexual exploitation, with foreign sex offenders paying Philippine-based traffickers as little as twenty-five dollars to participate in online sexual abuse of children.

“Simulations nowadays look very realistic, possibly created from real photos of women and young girls. This raises serious concerns about privacy breaches and highlights the risk of these apps being used for harmful purposes like impersonation or harassment,” the lawmaker further stressed.

Two years have passed since the Anti-OSAEC and Anti-CSAEM Act or Republic Act 11930 and the law raising the age for statutory rape or Republic Act No. 11648 were enacted.

However, the proposed expansion of the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act or Republic Act 9262 to address technology-related harm to women and children is still pending.

“Current legislation fails to address technological advancements in exploiting and abusing women and children. We urge the government to review, amend, and create laws to respond to these advancements and ensure justice for victims of online sexual exploitation and abuse,” she stressed.