Manila Bulletin
Sen. Leila de Lima welcomes US court ruling vs. man guilty of making child porn in Philippines
Sen. Leila de Lima welcomes US court ruling vs. man guilty of making child porn in Philippines
Sen. Leila de Lima welcomes US court ruling vs. man guilty of making child porn in Philippines
By Rica Arevalo
Published Sep 8, 2019 01:35 pm
By Hannah Torregoza
Opposition Senator Leila de Lima on Sunday welcomed the United States (US) court’s ruling sentencing to over 84 years in prison an American who has pleaded guilty to three counts of producing child pornography involving Filipino minors in July 2018.
Senator Leila de Lima (REUTERS / ROMEO RANOCO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
“We welcome the ruling on this case as it gives justice to the three Filipino girls who, at their very young age, were undeniably exploited. He is now more likely to spend the rest of his life in jail,” said De Lima, who chairs the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development, said in a statement from detention.
De Lima said the Philippine government should take the cue from the US’ court decision in seriously addressing the persistent cases of child cybersex abuses in the country by ensuring that offenders face tough punishment for their crime.
“Cases of child cybersex abuses continue to grow in the Philippines, with some victims exploited by their own family members, despite existing legislations against it. This requires serious attention and response from the government,” she stressed.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ), last Aug. 9, announced that 56-year-old Anthony Schultz, a helicopter pilot from Kansas, has been sentenced to 84 years in prison for filming the rape of underage Filipino girls and sharing the abuse online.
Schultz was charged in July 2016 and pleaded guilty to three counts of producing child pornography in July 2018; admitting to videotaping sex acts with a 12-year-old and a 15-year-old girl and brought the videos back to Kansas, then later sold it online.
The American also admitted that he produced child pornography with an eight-year-old Filipino girl with the cooperation of the child’s mother, who has been charged under the Philippines’ anti-trafficking, cybercrime and child protection laws but remains in hiding.
De Lima said the government should review the implementation of existing laws that protect children from abuses to fully eradicate the industry of child exploitation through cyber pornography in the country.
These laws include Republic Act (RA) 7610, also known as Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act; RA 9775 or the Anti-Child Pornography Act; RA 9231 or the Anti-Child Labor Law; RA 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act; and RA 10364 or the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act.
“Bago pa man lalong dumami ang kabataang biktima ng pangaabuso, lalo pa sa Internet, kailangan na nating kumilos at protektahan sila laban sa mga halang ang bituka, (The government should be proactive in dealing with this kind of evil before more children fall prey to abuses like this, especially on the Internet),” de Lima said.
“The recent news about Schultz only reminds us that child abuse, this evil, exists and we must vigorously fight to put an end to it by reviewing and assessing the implementation of the laws that are expected to protect our young one from abuses,” she stressed.
Senator Leila de Lima (REUTERS / ROMEO RANOCO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
“We welcome the ruling on this case as it gives justice to the three Filipino girls who, at their very young age, were undeniably exploited. He is now more likely to spend the rest of his life in jail,” said De Lima, who chairs the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development, said in a statement from detention.
De Lima said the Philippine government should take the cue from the US’ court decision in seriously addressing the persistent cases of child cybersex abuses in the country by ensuring that offenders face tough punishment for their crime.
“Cases of child cybersex abuses continue to grow in the Philippines, with some victims exploited by their own family members, despite existing legislations against it. This requires serious attention and response from the government,” she stressed.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ), last Aug. 9, announced that 56-year-old Anthony Schultz, a helicopter pilot from Kansas, has been sentenced to 84 years in prison for filming the rape of underage Filipino girls and sharing the abuse online.
Schultz was charged in July 2016 and pleaded guilty to three counts of producing child pornography in July 2018; admitting to videotaping sex acts with a 12-year-old and a 15-year-old girl and brought the videos back to Kansas, then later sold it online.
The American also admitted that he produced child pornography with an eight-year-old Filipino girl with the cooperation of the child’s mother, who has been charged under the Philippines’ anti-trafficking, cybercrime and child protection laws but remains in hiding.
De Lima said the government should review the implementation of existing laws that protect children from abuses to fully eradicate the industry of child exploitation through cyber pornography in the country.
These laws include Republic Act (RA) 7610, also known as Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act; RA 9775 or the Anti-Child Pornography Act; RA 9231 or the Anti-Child Labor Law; RA 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act; and RA 10364 or the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act.
“Bago pa man lalong dumami ang kabataang biktima ng pangaabuso, lalo pa sa Internet, kailangan na nating kumilos at protektahan sila laban sa mga halang ang bituka, (The government should be proactive in dealing with this kind of evil before more children fall prey to abuses like this, especially on the Internet),” de Lima said.
“The recent news about Schultz only reminds us that child abuse, this evil, exists and we must vigorously fight to put an end to it by reviewing and assessing the implementation of the laws that are expected to protect our young one from abuses,” she stressed.