NBI cracks down on pedophiles

MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will crack down on cases of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) perpetrated by pedophiles following the recent passage of a law against child abuse materials.

In an interview with The STAR over the weekend, NBI spokesperson Gisele Garcia-Dumlao said Republic Act 11930 or the Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) Act complements NBI operations against pedophiles and negligent parents selling their children to the sex trade.

Among the laws used against OSAEC complemented by the new law are the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act and the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act, both of which were previously used against traffickers.

The OSAEC Law authored by Sen. Risa Hontiveros requires social media platforms and financial intermediaries to take down OSAEC materials and cooperate with law enforcers.

The law also created the National Coordinating Center against OSAEC and CSAEM, under the Inter-Agency Council against Trafficking. The law gives OSAEC victims better protection, according to Hontiveros.

Dumlao, a longtime agent at the NBI anti-human trafficking division, said she handled OSAEC cases in bars and night clubs in the past.

But with the advent of the internet and digital wallets, even parents were emboldened to take OSAEC materials to sell to pedophiles abroad, she said.

“It has been prevalent because these parents do not have the concept that children will be traumatized later in life,” Dumlao said.