The Philippines and Norway have committed to jointly strengthen their cooperation against online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) by sharing relevant information, among others.
Manila and Oslo's commitment came after the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Norwegian police entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Scotland in a bid to bolster their collaborative efforts.
According to the Norwegian Embassy in Manila, the Norwegian police have spent considerable resources for several years investigating Norwegian perpetrators who order live-streamed abuse and images from the Philippines.
As the threat of OSAEC expands in terms of quantity and severity, the Norwegian government noted that offenders continue to take advantage of legal and criminal privacy services to hide their actions, locations, the infrastructure of their operations and identities using various software and data encryption to shield their communication while their victims suffer.
An October 2024 report released by the Norwegian National Criminal Investigation Service estimated that in the past year, around 400 to 2,000 Norwegian men have ordered child abuse materials, and that the Philippines appears to be one of the preferred sources.
So Kristin Kvigne, the head of the National Criminal Investigation Service, said Oslo is "now taking a new step in the work to protect Filipino children from Norwegian abusers."
"Through the development of new methods and specific investigations, we have increased the risk of detection by ordering abuse of Filipino children. Now we are tightening our grip further," she said.
Norwegian Ambassador to Manila Christian Halaas Lyster said the MOU highlights the cooperation between the Philippines and Norway in fight against OSAEC.
The MOU complements the Nordic Liaison Office (NLO) that was established in Manila to focus on key areas of cooperation, such as prevention and advocacy, prosecution and law enforcement, protection and reintegration of children, and partnership and networking.
"The establishment of the NLO Manila at the Norwegian Embassy in March 2020 and the newly signed MOU underscore our commitment to combating OSAEC in the Philippines, Norway and the other Nordic Countries," he said.