Crackdown vowed on cybersex in C. Visayas

CEBU CITY– The Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) vowed to end online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC) or cybersex trafficking in Central Visayas through stronger partnerships with local and international governments and non-government agencies, law enforcement and the academe.

Cebu Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale said the fight against OSEC continues.

Magpale lauded the Philippine National Police (PNP) Women and Children Protection Center Visayas Field Unit (WCPCVFU) headed by Sr. Supt. Romeo Perigo for filing 40 counts of qualified trafficking in persons, child abuse and sexual assault against seven suspected online traffickers from Cordova, Cebu, nearly eight years after the crime was committed.

Lucille Dejito, Director of Legal Intervention, International Justice Mission (IJM), said the filing of the cases last June 5 stemmed from the conviction of a Swedish national, Bengt Kristofferson in 2013 for possession of child pornography, conspiracy to rape children and incitement to commit aggravated rape.

Dejito told Manila Bulletin Kristofferson’s computer revealed numerous child abuse materials including the cybersex cases in Cordova that happened in 2009 and 2010 and involved six girls ages 4 to 11.

She said OSEC cases are very difficult to detect. “These are hidden in households and most of those involved are known by the victims such as family members, even their parents and sisters are facilitating OSEC. We need solid evidence to file these cases,” Dejito said.

Kristofferson apparently had been communicating with women in Cebu and directing the sexual abuse of young Filipino girls, she said.

Dejito said Kristofferson may have been convicted in Sweden, but the local perpetrators are still scot-free.

This prompted Cordova Mayor Therese Sitoy-Chu to bring the matter to IACAT-7 which then convened the technical working group to pursue the filing of the cases locally, based on the evidence from the Kristofferson conviction.

In a press conference Friday with the officials of IACAT-7 Chu said the filing of the cases send the message that Cordova does not tolerate OSEC and the council cannot allow the brutal abuse and exploitation of children to continue.

Fernando Gubalane, regional prosecutor and head of IACAT-7, said the cases must be filed because the abusers are related to the children, they are family members and close neighbors and some of the victims are still living in the same household or community with the perpetrators or abusers.

Dejito reported that since 2011, there were 98 OSEC operations supported by IJM, resulting in the failing of charges against 142 perpetrators and abusers.

There were 67 convictions in the country and 43 convictions in the Visayas region.

Dejito said OSEC “cuts across economic layers in our society and it is driven mostly by materialism.”