‘Silent pandemic’: emotional call by Philippines’ Marcos Jnr against child pornography sparks nationwide soul-searching

Justice department spokesman and assistant secretary Mico Clavano last week said: “The president was visibly distressed, very bothered and clearly stressed with the information that was relayed to him, which is why he gave the directive.”

Clavano added that Marcos Jnr hoped to phase out such crimes by the end of his term.

Shay Cullen, founder and vice-president of People Recovery Empowerment Development Assistance (Preda), which protects abused children and human trafficking survivors, said the surge in cases in the Philippines was partly to be blamed on internet service providers (ISPs).

Research findings recently released by New York-based rights group ChildFund Alliance’s WEB Safe & Wise Children’s Advisory Council indicate that at any time an estimated 750,000 individuals worldwide are actively seeking to exploit and connect with children online for sexual purposes.

Over the weekend, Kay Yeban Maatubang, communications manager for another NGO Save the Children, also warned that the Philippines ranked second in the world, after India, in terms of the number of online cases of child sexual exploitation.

India’s National Human Rights Commission reported in 2023 about 450,207 cases classified as “child sexual abuse material” online, double the figure in 2022.

On the Philippines, Maatubang said: “There have been reports of online sexual abuse and exploitation of babies as young as three months old. They come from impoverished communities and live with their relatives, who are desperate for money.

“Parents, relatives, and neighbours force these children to perform sexual acts in front of a camera.”

Last year, the Council for Welfare of Children in the Philippines recorded 17,681 cases of violence against children that included