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| Philippine National Police |
The ICAC project was initiated by the PNP-Women and Children Protection Center (WCPC) to comply with United States Department of State's recommendation to implement programs aimed at reducing online child sexual exploitation.
WCPC Chief Rosauro Acio said the establishment of the ICAC will help police investigators handle online sexual exploitation and other internet facilitated sex trafficking.
"WCPC intensifies its fight against online sexual exploitation by having ICAC investigation office. We do not want to stand by as our children are exploited online in the most damaging ways," he said during the inauguration.
While there are no available data sets yet on the cases of online child trafficking, the PNP WCPC reported having received over 151 reports of child trafficking last year.
From January to May this year, 26 such cases were reported to the office.
Young trafficking victims
Meanwhile, Visayan Forum Executive Director Maria Cecilia Oebanda said the average age of recent trafficking victims was appalling.
"For the past five years, medyo nashock talaga kami. Ang average age ng girls na nare-rescue namin ngayon is 12 years old," she said.
Based on WCPC records for January to June this year, there were 123 cases of sexual trafficking in minors that include 30 cases for males and 93 cases for females.
Acting Director for Investigation and Detective Management Augusto Marquez Jr., stressed the importance of educating school children to protect them from people who might take advantage of them.
"Ine-engage natin ang mga police mismo directly sa mga bata, we go to the schools and we tell the that if somebody touches them, they should report them. We should inform them at the very early stage alin ang mga bawal, ang mga hindi puwede," he said.
