A senior official of the Department Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) presented the agency’s initiatives in protecting children against online sexual abuse during the United Nations on Drugs and Crime Joint Policy Dialogue on Industry Regulation and Enforcement in Managing
Cybercrime on May 28 to 29 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Serving as panelist in the topic “Safety by design Policies to avoid illegal content in cyber spaces”, DSWD Undersecretary for International Affairs, Attached and Supervised Agencies Atty. Emmeline Aglipay Villar shared the agency’s effort in combatting the prevalence of Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) and Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM).

“Ensuring compliance to the safety-by-design policy by the digital platform developers plays a vital role in the protection of the rights of the vulnerable sectors, especially children vis-a-vis the implementation of social protection programs and services,” Undersecretary Villar said during the joint policy dialogue co-hosted by the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

The DSWD undersecretary also shared the country’s notable legislative measures through Republic Act No. 11930 or the Anti-OSAEC and Anti-CSAEM Act, which mandates several government and private agencies—from law enforcement to social welfare agencies—of their responsibilities in protecting the welfare of Filipino children against perpetrators of OSAEC and CSAEM.

The law and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) also established the National Coordinating Center against OSAEC and CSAEM under the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), co-chaired by the DSWD along with the Department of Justice.

“The same law mandated the DSWD, together with the Local Social Welfare and Development Office (LSWDO) and Social Welfare and Development Agencies (SWDAs) to ensure that the immediate needs of the child victim-survivor are addressed after the rescue,” Undersecretary Villar said.

As the lead social protection agency, the DSWD offers services and programs to protect the victim-survivors, help them in their recovery, and guide them in their reintegration in their respective communities.

The DSWD provides psychosocial intervention and counseling upon rescue to victims and survivors of sexual abuse and exploitation, before they are provided center-based or community-based programs.

Among the center-based programs offered to victim-survivors are social, home life skills, educational, psychosocial counseling intervention, health, economic productivity, recreational, dental/medical, and spiritual.

“We at the DSWD reaffirm our commitment to combat sexual abuse and exploitation of children in support of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to intensify the government’s efforts in addressing the issue,” Usec. Villar said. #