Why online child porn in PH won't go away

MANILA - Why won't online child pornography in the Philippines go away? The answer to that, according to a police official, is simple: people need the money. "Online child pornography proliferates because they earn money from this. The victims don't complain. Nakikita na lang natin, nag bu-burst na lang siya dahil sa international groups na nag ca-call ng attention kasi dito sa atin ang production ng child pornographic materials," said Police inspector Maria Ivy Castillo, supervisor of the women and children protection section of the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group. The Philippine National Police earlier said the Philippines is among the Top 10 countries producing pornographic materials on children all over the world. It said most of the livestreamed cybersex operations in the country are in Metro Manila, Pampanga, Cebu and Cagayan de Oro. The British National Crime Agency recently busted a pedophile ring preying on children in the Philippines. Castillo said identifying child porn hubs can be a challenge because parents of the victimized kids are usually involved. "Ang mga parents ang nagpapa-live show ng mga anak nila," she said. She also said the parents usually reason that the kids are not being physically abused because everything is done online. She, however, pointed out that these parents do not consider the psychological effect of letting their kids engage in sexual acts. Castillo said one source of support in the fight against online child pornography is the cooperation of Internet service providers. She said ISPs know the subscriber information of particular IP addresses. "From that end, ma te-trace na namin kung nasaan siya and we can get a search warrant," she said. ANC HEADSTART, January 20, 2014