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The Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Center (PICACC) has become a model for other countries in addressing online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC), Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra said on Wednesday, March 30.

“PICACC has set the template for international law enforcement action and has set a high standard for global response against OSAEC,” Guevarra said in his speech during the third anniversary celebration of the PICACC.

Guevarra, who is also the co-chairman of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), recounted that three years ago “PICACC was launched as a drive to strengthen law enforcement collaboration to fight the online sexual abuse and exploitation of children.”

“Initially, the pioneer law enforcement units from the Philippines, Australia, and the United Kingdom, with the International Justice Mission (IJM), banded together to take the challenge head on,” he recalled.

He noted that the group was later joined by other units from the United States and the Netherlands.

“PICACC now serves as a model for an enhanced global response against OSAEC cases,” he stressed.

Following its launch, Guevarra said that by 2021 “the total operations conducted by PICACC reached 118 that resulted in the rescue of 373 identified trafficked victims and the arrest of 84 suspects.”

“No doubt, these efforts contributed to the Philippines maintaining its Tier 1 ranking in the 2021 US Global Trafficking in Persons (GTIP) Report,” he pointed out.

While it is difficult to determine the exact number of OSAEC cases in the Philippines, Guevarra cited that “a common observation among key informants is the increasing number of reported OSAEC cases in general.”

He lamented that the observation that “the child victims are getting younger” and “do not form a homogenous group.”

“In a national study covering four major Philippine cities, the victims’ ages at the time of the abuse and exploitation range from 5 to 14,” he cited.

“Sad and alarming, indeed,” Guevarra stressed.