‘Crack down on human trafficking, child porn’

The government should strictly implement laws to combat the cybersex business, which  is  spreading like bacteria, a lawyer of the Children’s Legal Bureau said.

“We already have very good laws. They just have to be implemented. There are those who don’t even know that this particular law is existing,” said lawyer Cheryl Cabutihan.

Cabutihan spoke in the weekly 888 Forum at the Marco Polo Hotel yesterday.

Among the laws she  referred to were Republic Act 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 and Republic Act 9775 or the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009.

“Cybersex is like an epidemic. It spreads. People are lured by sums of money. We are saddened by this,” Cabutihan said.

Cabutihan lamented the fact that there are   parents who let their children perform in the nude in front of web-cameras in exchange for money.

She said some parents send their children to cybersex operators.

Later, they buy their own laptop computers and operate their own cybersex dens.

“We expect them  to take care of their children but they are the ones pushing them to engage in the cybersex business. (They) treat children as recipients of rights, not holders of rights.”

Cabutihan said authorities have a difficult time monitoring cybersex since lewd shows are done inside the rooms.

Vic Abadisco of the Visayan Forum Foundation Inc. said citizens should be trained to be vigilant against cybersex operators

He  said the Visayan Forum Foundation Inc. and  CLB have been conducting parenting advocacy seminars to inform people about what they ought to do and avoid doing.

Meanwhile, Rep. Luigi Quisumbing of Cebu’s 6th district said he will call for a congressional inquiry to look into ill effects of cyber pornography on victims and come up with a plan to stop cybersex in the country. /Reporter  Ador Vincent S.  Mayol with a report from Jucell Marie P. Cuyos