The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) looks forward to the visit starting Nov. 28 of Ms. Mama Fatima Singhateh, United Nations Special Rapporteur (UNSR) on the sale and sexual exploitation of children.
It said the visit was on invitation of the Philippines which “demonstrates the government's openness and resolve to address the urgent situation of vulnerable children in our country.”
There were an estimated 2.8 million complaints of online sexual exploitation of children in the Philippines in 2021 based on the report of the Department of Justice (DOJ), the CHR said.
The abuses against children became more rampant during the Covid-19 pandemic, it said.
With Singhateh's visit, the CHR hopes that the root causes of the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child pornography and other materials, will finally be identified and addressed.
It said that during the visit, there would be an exchange good practices to combat the problem, promote preventive measures, and make recommendations for the rehabilitation of victims.
"The Commission is hopeful that the visit will help enhance the capacity of government agencies and actors to protect children from all forms of abuse, particularly those involving the use of information and communication technology, which have become rampant in recent years," the CHR said in a statement.
At the same time, it said the Philippines will also have an opportunity to showcase the measures and mechanisms it has implemented to uphold and protect the rights of child victims of sale and sexual exploitation.
Throughout Singhateh's visit, the Philippines will also get to learn more about surrogacy, illegal adoption, and online child sexual exploitation, which are the UNSR's areas of interest, it said.
"As we anticipate a productive engagement between the government and the UNSR, we also look forward to its meaningful translation into concrete mechanisms and policies that would improve the plight of vulnerable children and curb all forms of abuses suffered by them," it added.
The CHR reiterated its willingness to work with the government in upholding the rights and dignity of children as it reminded all key stakeholders and the public of its "collective duty to create a safe, enabling, and empowering society for all Filipino children - both online and offline."
TAGS: #CHR #UNSR #Singhateh