Children are raping children because of uncontrolled internet
IT happened in a vacant lot in Bataan recently. A small,12year-old boy, Juanito (not his real name), was invited by his cousin to watch a child sex abuse video on a cellular phone. Immediately after watching it, they became sexually aroused, and when they saw two young girls — one was 6 years old, the other 7— they decided to capture them.
They ran after the young girls. Juanito captured the 6-year-old and dragged her to an abandoned nipa hut, where he did what he watched in the video. He sexually assaulted her.
This is not an isolated incident. Another involved three boys — 12, 13 and 14 — in Zambales. After watching a similar video on a cell phone, they gang-raped a 6-year-old girl. But because of their young age, they will not face criminal charges but instead be sent to a therapy center for help and psychological counseling.
What the internet, telecommunication companies (telcos) and internet service providers (ISPs) brought into the world is deadly: uncontrolled public platforms where anyone can post anything online. Such harmful content ignores Republic Act 11930 by allowing images and recordings of child abuse to be viewed, downloaded and absorbed by children.
Because of public permissiveness and apparent tolerance of online sexual exploitation by people, save for a few activists, the telcos seem to ignore the law and do what they want to make more money. If the government or public outrage challenges them, they could cut off access to the internet with impunity. That is the basis of their power. They could also thwart a politician’s reelection bid by minimizing his or her visibility online and boosting their opponents’.
As a result of this unregulated internet access, we have children raping children. This includes brothers raping sisters, which was the subject of a recent promulgation by Judge Gemma Theresa Hilario-Logronio of the Olongapo City Family Court. Angela (not her real name) was repeatedly raped by her 21-year-old brother, who was found guilty beyond reasonable doubt on two rape charges and given two life sentences. Worse, her sister was also repeatedly raped by her biological father, her uncle and another brother. They all had access to pornographic videos online.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) says 7 million children are sexually abused every year, and this figure is based on interviews and surveys. Millions more are not reported. One girl in every three is sexually abused at least once before they turn 16. One in every four boys is sexually abused before reaching 18.
There is a nongovernmental organization in Ireland dedicated to helping sexually abused boys. Such boys are the most reluctant ones to report abuse. Some only do so after many years. As boys, they experience fear, shame and rejection by family members of the alleged abuser. Justice is not readily available. In most countries, the level of proof is so high few victims are believed, and few child abusers get convicted.
When child sex abuse goes unchallenged and unreported, it spreads. It has become socially acceptable, although everybody knows it is a crime.
There are so many secret victims; few are able to talk about or expose them.
Laws against such crimes are ignored. Some law enforcers actually see nothing wrong with abusing a child. That is why there are thousands of brothels and bars employing minors that earn money. These minors have little education and no prospects in life. Money from sex traffickers and bar owners has become attractive. They get money, drugs, drink, sex, cell phones and hotel accommodation courtesy of their customers.
This is all made possible with the approval of local authorities since they issue licenses to operate establishments. One may assume they probably receive extra payment to approve a permit to operate a bar. They ignore the sex trafficking and sexploitation under their noses.
The demand of the United States military for sex without restraint by Filipinos was quickly met and satisfied by authorities and traffickers, as thousands of poor girls were taken from destitute families in the provinces and made sex slaves through debt bondage.
All were approved by unscrupulous authorities and given social acceptance, even when minors were being raped and abused. Criticism of the sex industry or an alternative replacement of a US base by a freeport was not tolerated. The tolerance for child abuse thrived as a result.
In response, the critics challenged the organized trafficking syndicates abusing children. In 1992, RA 7610, or the “Anti-Child Abuse Law,” was passed. Until 2022, the age of consent was only 12.
Sex tourists flocked to the Philippines and raped children, with their families benefiting from the crime. If challenged, the parents would force the child to say “I love him,” and the case would be dismissed. Now with the new law, any sexual intercourse with a child younger than 16 is statutory rape. No bail and life in prison awaits the abuser if found guilty. The child only has to provide the information and say, “He had sex with me.” The law is being implemented in some courts and changing the lives of abused children. But many more have to follow.
Prostitution may be illegal in the Philippines, but it is totally tolerated. Trafficking people into it and employing its victims, however, carries a life sentence. This is the contradiction of Philippine society. It seems to say, “Go ahead and do evil, but pay the price if caught.”
Unicef, Ecpat International and Interpol say 90 percent of child sex abuse and exploitation originates on Facebook. In the Philippines, more than 2 million children were sexually abused and exploited online in 2022. The co-founder and owner of Facebook has a lot to answer for, as so many children reportedly committed suicide after meeting people on Facebook. One United States senator has told him that he has “blood on his hands.”
Uncontrolled social media platforms, unguarded internet access, and the failure of telcos and ISPs to install blocking software on their servers allowed abusive content to reach 12-year-olds, enticing them to go and rape 6-year-olds.
When will our nation wake up and force these companies to respect Filipinos and obey our laws? Brave is the leader who can do that.
www.preda.org