Philippines Calls for Addressing Root Causes of Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children

Ambassador Evangelina A. Bernas (left), Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations, discusses the Philippines’ experiences and initiatives to fight online sexual abuse of children at the event on the UNODC Global Programme on Cybercrime and INTERPOL’s Model of Work in addressing Child Sexual Abuse Material on 04 December 2024

VIENNA 12 December 2024 – The Philippines called for addressing the root causes of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) and identifying the hotspots and sources of abusers during the event on the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Global Programme on Cybercrime and INTERPOL’s Model of Work in addressing Child Sexual Abuse Material.

Ambassador Evangelina A. Bernas, Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna, stated that there is a need to shift the focus on the source of abuse and shut them down.

“Often the Philippines, either in the news or in technical reports, is characterized as a ‘global hotspot’ or a ‘source’ of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children. The hotspots and sources that should be identified from the statistics are those of perpetrators, which is equally important. We have to find ways to address the root cause–the perpetrators themselves–as we save the victims,” she stated. 

“Hundreds of Filipino children are victimized, and this is the frame that I want to emphasize: our Filipino children are victims, and not commodities to be consumed by ‘clients,’ but rather victimized by the insatiable demand from abusers, mostly male of a certain age and mostly traced to western countries,” the Philippine envoy said.

The event was conducted in the Vienna International Center on 04 December 2024 and gathered experts to discuss challenges and strategies in tackling online child sexual abuse as well as opportunities for international cooperation. END

For more information, visit https://www.viennape.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.philippine-embassy.at or https://www.facebook.com/PHinAustria, or https://www.instagram.com/phinaustria/.