THE Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday said the establishment of a national database or registry of foreign sexual offenders is “in process,” adding it would boost the country’s drive against online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC).
Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty said there is a need for the establishment of such a database of sex offenders to protect and keep the public informed and which authorities can use to monitor and track offenders.
He added that aside from local law enforcement authorities, their foreign counterparts can also have accessible information about sex offenders in the country.
“The sex offender registry is in the process, and we are doing this in coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Bureau of Immigration. Kung magawa ito dagdag resource ito para mapigilan ang pagpasok ng ganitong mga tao sa bansa natin (If this is established, this is another resource in our effort to prevent the entry of this kind of persons),” Ty told the “Bangon Pilipinas Ngayon” public forum.
“Hindi natin maitatanggi na global hotspot tayo (sa online sexual abuse and exploitation of children) dahil na din sa kahirapan, diffused internet connection, at pagiging tech-savvy na din (We could not deny the fact that we are a global hotspot [of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children] due to poverty, diffused internet connection and the tech savvy of many),” he added.
Ty said the numerous cases of interception of foreign sex offenders who tried to enter the country is a cause for concern.
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said they have barred entry to the country to some 150 foreign sex offenders since January this year.
“During the pandemic, there was an increase of online exploitation of women and children. When international travel resumed, the number of registered sex offenders rose, which could show that the exploitation is being continued,” Tansingco said, as he expressed concern on the possible resurgence of sex tourism after the reopening of the country’s borders following the easing of travel restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus.
Last year, the country’s Special Envoy to the United Nations Children’s Fund Nikki Teodoro said the Philippines has become “number one for child trafficking, and online pornography” after cases of child exploitation rose by over 280 percent.”
In 2021, the DOJ reported that more than 370 children who are OSAEC victims were rescued by the authorities even amid the restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It also led to the arrest of 74 suspected traffickers.
