Harsher penalties for sexual exploitation of kids pushed

CYBERSEX DEN At least 30 individuals were arrested after the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group raided an alleged cybersex den in Barangay Old Balara, Quezon City. —INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Sen. Francis Tolentino on Sunday pushed for the passage of a measure imposing harsher penalties on those involved in the sexual exploitation of children, child labor and other forms of abuses targeting minors.

“The current law against child abuse is [more than 30] years old already. We need to amend it as the advancement in technology has made it easier for abusers to victimize children,” Tolentino said in a radio interview.

Tolentino, chair of the Senate justice committee, was referring to Republic Act No. 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act, which was passed by Congress in 1992.

According to Tolentino, enacting a new law with stiffer jail terms and penalties would help the government stem the “disturbing” incidents of online sexual abuse of children, including those perpetrated by the victims’ own relatives.

He noted that a recent United Nations study showed that the Philippines has remained a “main source and destination for child trafficking.”

Under Tolentino’s Senate Bill No. 1397, those found guilty of abusing children may be jailed for up to 17 years, or five years longer than the current maximum prison term for such offense.

In pushing for the measure, he said the state was mandated by the Constitution to put in place the needed mechanisms to protect the Filipino youth from all forms of exploitations.

“The proper rearing of our youth is essential in ensuring that we are creating future generations of well-prepared citizens that will assume the task of being good leaders and custodians of the [country],” Tolentino said.

“It is the duty of this modern legislature … to ensure that the laws of the country keep up with the times in order to secure relevance and protection for our citizens in general and our children in particular,” he added. INQ