Policy Paper

Digital Safety in the Philippines:

A Call to Ban Pornographic Websites and Integrate
Sex Education Curriculum
Keith C Censoro, MSCS, MPP

Image Source: Asia News Network

Executive Summary
With the advent of modern technology and the internet, Digital Safety is one of the prevailing
issues that the government and its citizens faced. Widely published resources such as
documents, photos and videos via the internet are freely available. This provides internet
publishers with a wider opportunity to use this platform for possible revenue generation through
online subscriptions.

The Philippines has an overwhelming adoption rate of social media and the internet itself of which
130 million people are mobile internet users. In addition, more than half of Filipino teenagers use
the Internet regularly and own gadgets with Internet access. The increased accessibility and
convenience of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) give significant information
and learning possibilities for children, but it also poses a possible security risk to youths online.
These potential dangers associated with the internet specifically Child Pornography are prevalent
due to less supervision of parents. Child pornography is a serious issue that is only growing as
poverty, teenage pregnancies, and rape cases in the Philippines worsen.

As a result, the country has become a global hotspot for Livestream sexual abuse of minors.
The high rate of cybercrimes has contributed negative impact on society and challenged the
government to pass policies to combat this societal problem.

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To address this, the integration of both digital and education policies in banning pornographic
websites and the introduction of a comprehensive sex education curriculum shall take place in
the country. These will protect online users from explicit materials posted online and will educate
Filipino learners about the risk associated with pornography and other sex-related crimes and
issues.

A Hotspot of Explicit Cyber Contents

The study conducted by Cyber Crime Investigation and Coordination Center (2019) pronounced
that the Philippines is a "maker" of child sexual abuse materials, with 1.3 million in 2020 increasing
to 3.1 million in 2021 (Hughes D.M., 2000). The country is exceeding the global trend of increased
online cyber pornography trafficking, abuse done via the internet, and the involvement of children
in explicit materials (Ronda, 2022), in fact, according to Pornhub (2020), one of the most popular
pornographic film sharing and pornography websites on the internet, the Philippines was the only
ASEAN country to make the top ten list of countries with the biggest number of individuals
watching porn.

Further, the COVID-19 pandemic has

pushed some Filipino parents to involve
their children in creating pornographic
materials, and children are still being
withheld from school because of poverty
(Save the Children Philippines, 2021).
This is true when Social Welfare
Secretary Erwin Tulfo said that Some
cash-strapped parents prostituted their
children online (Bakker, P., 2012) and
exploited them sexually (Cepeda, M.,
2022). Ronda (2022) also emphasized
that there has been a steady rise in
reports of internet abuses involving
children due presumably to the global
lockdowns imposed by the COVID-19
pandemic. Thus, more children are being
exploited and abused online because of
deepening poverty (Adanza, J, 2018).
The Chief Executive of Save the Children
PH, Alberto Muyo, said that the pandemic
is not just a health concern, but a child
rights crisis as well that urgent attention is Source: The Aseanpost
needed.

According to Unicef, Interpol, and Ecpat International's study conducted in 2022, around 20
percent of Internet users between 12-17 years old in the Philippines had been sexually abused
online (Passion, P., 2017). The Justice Ministry reported an increase of 279,166 sexual abuse
cases via the internet in the country during the Covid-19 lockdown from March to May 2020.

What is Child Pornography?

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In general, child pornography involves anything that is intended to offend a reasonable adult by
showing, depicting, or portraying a child under the age of 16. However, due to jurisdictional
variances, this legal concept might be difficult to implement (Grant et al. 1997). For example, in
certain places, sexual behaviour by the kid or another person in the child's presence must be
depicted. Difficulties emerge also from the fact that most child pornography statutes involve a
determination of whether the content is objectionable or not. As Taylor and Quayle (2003) pointed
out, A child pornographer may consider information related to children as sexualised and
pornographic without violating the legal definition. In their view, thinking beyond the legal definition
of child pornography is necessary to understand why it is created and collected.

It is important to note that even though these

“Online sexual abuse and

materials do not fall under the legal definition of
child pornography, all may be considered
relevant to investigating child pornography
exploitation of children is a offences in light of their potential to suggest
sexual interest in children. It is not just a legal
silent pandemic that has matter, but also a moral issue since it has the
permanent, and devastating potential to distort a child's vision of humanity,
and it is never-ending victimisation because the
effects on children’s mental photographs are posted on the internet and
cannot be wiped or restored. Images are still
health and psychosocial being passed from one individual to the next.
This will have an impact on the victim's present
well-being,” said Muyot. and future. It also leads to additional crimes such
as sex tourism, exploitation, and abuse.

Challenges and Threats

Child pornography harms a child's thinking and causes irreversible harm to them. It causes long-
term and short-term harm to the sufferer and creates wider problems in society, to wit:

Extreme Change of Behaviours

According to Thoyur (2022), people involved in child pornography experienced physical

injury, agony, and sexually transmitted illnesses. Moreover, it has a psychological
influence on children, causing some changes in behaviours like becoming angry,
depressed, anxious, and suicidal (Unicef, 2017). Ignorance and poverty force children to
work to contribute to their family's income, making them easy prey to exploitative child
labour and hazardous types of work. Thus, children have no other option but to be the
victim of exploitation which often lead to sex addiction.

High Rate of Teenage Pregnancies

The rising prevalence of teenage pregnancies in the Philippines has been linked to a lack
of sex education as a social and national problem (Bocar, et al, 2016). The youth may
begin to explore out of curiosity and may experience sexual desire as a result of early
exposure to pornography or sexual practices leading to unwanted pregnancy.

There has been an increase of 70% in teenage pregnancies in the past ten years,
according to the United Nations Population Fund Agency (Salvador, et al., 2016). Teenage
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pregnancies jumped dramatically to 7% after a year in 2018, according to the Commission
on Population (2020). Moreover, 2019 statistics highlighted that teens aged ten to
fourteen gave birth each day (Sherpa, T., 2021). In addition, during the COVID-19
pandemic, isolations and lockdowns did not reduce the pregnancy rate but rather
increased it as it surged considerably (Holdago, et. al., 2022).

High Number of Rape Cases and Sexual Exploitation

Due to the sexual exposure brought by explicit materials on pornographic websites, people
become aggressive in sex which often led to the criminal offence of rape (Hughes, D.M.,
2020).

Statista (2020) showed that the number of rape victims in the Philippines increased by six
in 2020 to 2,168. The number of sexually exploited women increased that same year. In
the Philippines, violence against women and children is a pervasive issue.

Assessing Government’s Effort

It has long been recognized that child pornography is a problem in the Philippines, but other
problems have often overshadowed it (Cepeda, M, 2022). The current administration's crackdown
on online sexual abuse comes about a month after a law giving the Anti-Child Pornography Act
more teeth took effect on July 30, 2022, the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children
(OSAEC) Act.

The OSAEC Act criminalises the use of both offline and online platforms to sexually exploit minors.
It also requires social media sites and other electronic service providers where child pornography
content may be distributed to be accountable (Philippine Senate, 2022). Internet platforms must
remove these posts, preserve the evidence, and turn it over to law enforcement. Therefore,
anyone who knowingly subscribes to child pornography websites, as well as social media users
who generate postings that make children the objects of sexual fantasies, may face penalties
(Philippine Senate, 2022).

It can be glimpsed that child pornography exists in the country since then, but the government
has neglected to address this issue due to the different priority agendas focused on the war on
drugs, pandemic responses, and anti-terrorism implementation in the country. Moreover, the
OSAEC law was just enacted recently which means that the government needs ample time to
implement this law effectively.

Policy Options
Banning of Pornographic Websites including VPNs by the Government and Internet
Service Providers

As OSAEC law will be implemented nationwide, the government shall step forward in addressing
cyber-related problems, specifically the existence of pornographic websites. The call to ban
pornographic sites will convey a direct message that pornography is illegal and prohibited, which
is morally wrong and against the teaching of religion as a Catholic nation.

Banning pornographic sites will provide safe cyber spaces for all Filipinos and the Internet Service
Providers (ISPs) shall take the responsibility to implement technology, programs, and software to
block or filter all sites containing child pornography including VPN. Chen (2017) emphasized that
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after the UAE and Russia, the South East Asian country banned the world's biggest legal porn
websites. Moreover, a rule regulating intermediaries and digital media ethics has been adopted
by the Indian government to its ISPs in banning porn sites (Deep, A., 2022).

The National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) and the Department of Information and
Communications Technology (DICT) shall be responsible for banning these explicit sites with the
aid of internet service providers.

Pornography has a damaging influence on society in general, including those in front of the
camera. Not only is pornography an issue, but the internet itself exacerbates it. Porn has been
around for ages, and pornographic movies have been there for decades, but never before has
there been such an abundance of sexual content at our fingers at all hours of the day. Thus, as
these pornographic sites host thousands of explicit materials, the government shall ban these
sites to control their distribution, limit addiction, and end exploitation.

Integration of Comprehensive Sex Education

Students will benefit from the Education Ministry of the Philippines' implementation of a
Comprehensive Sex Education (CSE) policy. According to the Department of Education,
incorporating age- and culture-appropriate sex education into basic elementary and high school
curricula will result in Filipino adolescents who are disciplined and informed about reproductive
health risks (2018). CSE is widely utilised in European countries such as Denmark and the
Netherlands (Bell, T., 2016). Furthermore, a study that comprised numerous studies from both
developing and developed countries discovered that CSE increased knowledge and had a
positive effect on teen behaviours, reducing the frequency of teenage pregnancy (Higgins, L.,
2021).

Students will learn about their bodies, sex, sexuality, relationships, social communication about
sexually related subjects, digital safety, cyber-related laws, and an in-depth grasp of contraception
in Comprehensive Sex Education (Department of Education, 2018).

This curriculum should also be grade-level specific, taking into account the student's
developmental stage and cultural background. Puberty, reproduction, contraception, condoms,
relationship engagement, sexual assault prevention and control, body image, and gender identity
and equality should all be included. It should be taught by professionals.

The purpose of sex education is to provide thorough information on avoiding unplanned

pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, and the negative effects of child pornography.

How can banning and sex education policies be effectively implemented?

To address this national societal issue, the government, in collaboration with stakeholders, will
prioritise the prohibition of pornographic websites while also including CSE in the public and
private school curricula. The following are recommended for effective implementation:

Sharing appropriate information and increasing capacity development initiatives

IT specialists must be equipped with the necessary abilities for blocking these porn sites,
as well as other IT-related skills, particularly in handling VPN encryptions, to completely
block explicit sites and materials on the internet. Furthermore, the government will commit

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funds for a nationwide education campaign to raise awareness about the negative effects
of child pornography and the consequences of being caught up in it.

Increase capacity-building initiatives for teachers, especially those who will be handling
sex education. Educate parents about their sexual and reproductive health rights, as well
as any relevant CSE legislation.

Implement other legislation supporting the banning of porn sites and the integration of sex
education

Legislators will consider a wide range of bills, such as those dealing with sexual
orientation, diversity, and relationships, as well as legislation against violence against
women and children, which can address issues related to sexual orientation and sexual
identity/expression (SOGIE) and anti-discrimination. Moreover, the government shall
revisit existing laws regarding anti-child pornography, cyber security, and data privacy in
digital media.

Encourage civic engagement between citizen groups, IT experts, education institutions, religious
groups, and advocates

Civil society organizations need active support from the government to devise, implement,
oversee, and assess relevant policies, procedures, and processes related to sexual
orientation, gender, and development.

Non-governmental organisations and religious groups will be encouraged to engage in

information campaigns that will allow them to design successful sex education
programmes, initiatives, and activities. Non-governmental organisations and religious
groups must participate in information campaigns that enable them to build successful sex
education programs, initiatives, and activities.

Moreover, the IT experts’ group shall sit together with the NTC, DICT, and ISPs to further
discuss the strategies and the needed technologies to effectively ban explicit sites, trace
malicious activities online, and track IP addresses for any perpetrators violating the laws.

Provide appropriate funding for information campaigns and other school-based and/or
community-based initiatives

According to Republic Act No. 7160 or the 1991 Local Government Code, it is the
responsibility of local government entities to religiously allot funding for Gender and
Development (GAD) and other sexually-oriented activities for the school and community
(Senate of the Philippines). As a result, it is the government's responsibility to secure the
welfare and protection of its population.

References

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