NOVEMBER 2022
GenderScoop is a monthly digest on gender & ICT in the Philippines
CONCERTED EFFORTS OF DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS TO ADDRESS GBV
PCW shares efforts toward child rights protection in PH dialogue with United Nations
The Philippine delegation expressed to the Committee its earnest commitment to ensure that children’s rights are protected and promoted.
Azurin to lead PNP delegation in Interpol meeting in France
Azurin said the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) in France seeks to strengthen member countries in the fight against anti-terrorism, anti-corruption, cybercrime including crimes against children, DNA database of missing persons and transnational crimes.
Minglanilla police educate women about rights against sexual assault
The Minglanilla Police Station has strengthened the implementation of women-related laws such as the Anti-Bastos law Anti-Rape Law and Anti-Violence Against Women and Children.
SC supports drive to end violence vs women
The SC’s Committee on Gender Responsiveness in the Judiciary (CGRJ) “has been undertaking the necessary reforms mandated under several laws affecting women and children.” Some of these reforms, he said, are the promulgation of new or amendment of existing procedural rules; the establishment of family courts to handle exclusively cases involving family, child, juvenile and women victims of violence; and the adoption of policies pursuant to the Gender and Development Program.
Imee seeks life-long accountability for violence against women, children offenders
Senator Imee Marcos is proposing to extend legal deadlines for filing cases of rape and other cases of Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC). The prescriptive period is between 10 and 20 years for various degrees of VAWC offenses, which include stalking, peering, entering a dwelling against a woman’s will, destroying her property, verbal and emotional abuse and public ridicule of a woman or child.
TF formed to fight cybercrimes in CAR
Task force is tasked to come up with a streamlined referral system for suspected investment and online scams, knowledge sharing with agencies on how to identify the kind of fraud committed, and case build-up, among others. It also holds symposia, caravans, seminars, and road shows to heighten awareness on consumer rights and knowledge about cybercrimes, including human trafficking done via the Internet.
DepEd tells staff to avoid befriending students outside school, online
The Department of Education (DepEd) has directed its employees to avoid making contact with students outside of the school setting, including on social media. The directive is among the provisions of DepEd Order 49 dated Nov. 2, amending a previous order on the promotion of professionalism in the delivery of basic education programs and services.
Children’s book raises awareness on cybersecurity
As part of its commitment to closing the cyber skills gap, this donation further raises the youth’s cybersecurity awareness in time for back-to-school in the Philippines. The “Cyber Safe” book contains an easy-to-understand introduction to possible dangers for children connecting online for school, video games, streaming video shows, and more.
REPORTS ON OGBV CASES
IMEG, Intel agents nab cop for ‘sextortion’
The suspect was arrested around 12:30 a.m. Thursday in a sting inside the Maharlika Apartelle in Barangay Manggahan in San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan triggered by a complaint from the policeman’s ex-girlfriend.
Man arrested for exposing sex videos of former girlfriend
Sometime in October, the victim decided to end their relationship and eventually blocked the suspect on the dating app. The suspect got irked and eventually changed his profile picture on the dating apps with the illicit photo of the victim to gain her attention.
2 Female Students Nabbed In Manila Over Alleged Sextortion
The two were arrested in an entrapment operation after a 32-year-old nursing student filed a complaint against them, who are said to be friends of his ex-girlfriend. The suspects allegedly threatened to expose on social media the private messages and photos of the victim and his ex-girlfriend.
Two Facebook scammers arrested in Pangasinan
Based on the report, suspect Jessica mimicked the account of Jesus Garcia (complainant 1) to defraud the latter’s relatives from whom she requested financial assistance.
DOJ-Davao records 55 cases of offenses against minors
In the data provided by Victim Witness, three of these offenses are sexual in nature, including prostitution, sex trafficking or exploitation, and cyber sex or online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC).
Harris in PH: US to invest $5M for COVID-19 vax rollout, will help veterans, child sex victims
The US Embassy also said the US government will launch a new program with World Hope to combat the online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC) and support OSEC survivors in the Philippines
Bulacan school suspends principal over harassment allegation
Liceo di San Lorenzo takes action after a 16-year-old student posted screenshots of his senior high school principal allegedly harassing him on Facebook Messenger
SPECIAL REPORT: Crypto exchanges enabled online child sex-abuse profiteer
In the eight years he ran an online market selling images of violent child sexual abuse, Michael Mohammad made the equivalent of more than 100,000 euros. At his trial in May, while some of his victims listened, he told the judge: “It was purely business.”
[OPINION] In Southeast Asia, violence against female political leaders is rising
Around the world, violence against female political leaders is rising. The global increase of women’s participation in politics as politicians, activists, community leaders, and voters — thanks in part to gender quotas — has also given rise to attacks against women in politics.
[OPINION] e-taewon: How insights from the tragedy could help us make online spaces safer
No amount of takeaways and lessons learned could compensate for what happened in Itaewon last November 29. Yet we try to learn as much as we can to dampen the sense of futility provoked by the loss of so many lives.
[OPINION] Asserting PH sovereignty against commercial sexual exploitation of children
From December 2020 to March 2021, Cheves communicated online with a then 15- to 16-year-old Philippine minor, who he paid to produce and send to him sexually explicit images of the minor. Additionally, in February 2021, Cheves engaged in sex acts on two separate occasions with a second 16-year-old Philippine minor who he met online, using his government-issued cellphone to film himself doing so on at least one of those occasions. The child sex abuse material that Cheves produced and received of these minors were found on devices seized from Cheves’s embassy residence in the Philippines. Cheves knew the ages of both minors at the time he engaged in the conduct.”
RESEARCH
University Of Sheffield: New Report Reveals Link Between Online And Offline Violence Against Women Journalists
The study draws on the experiences of nearly 1,100 journalists, two big data case studies examining 2.5 million social media posts directed at journalist and Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa (The Philippines) and multi award-winning investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr (UK), along with detailed individual country case studies.
New report reveals link between online and offline violence against women journalist
The report is the result of a three-year study covering 15 countries and is the most geographically, linguistically, and ethnically diverse scoping of online violence against women journalists to date.
TECH FOR GOOD OR BAD?
Twitter to grant ‘amnesty’ to accounts suspended for harassment, misinformation
Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk says that he is granting “amnesty” to suspended accounts, which online safety experts predict will spur a rise in harassment, hate speech and misinformation.
Meta to prevent teenagers from online threats on Instagram & Facebook
Facebook announced in a blog post that anyone under the age of 16, or under the age of 18 in some countries, will now automatically be placed in more private settings. Meta is also experimenting with ways to stop kids from messaging dubious adults they are not related to, so that the platform won’t list them in its People You May Know suggestions.
Twitter turmoil, staff exodus aggravate security concerns
Twitter’s owner Elon Musk has pledged the platform will not become a “hellscape,” but experts fear a staff exodus following mass layoffs may have devastated its ability to combat misinformation, impersonation and data theft
The metaverse ushers in a new era of cyber threats
The next-level complexity of hardware and software technologies that will make up the metaverse introduces countless attack surfaces and cybersecurity challenges.
BEYOND THE PHILIPPINES
[United Kingdom]Creation and distribution of pornographic deepfakes without consent to be made illegal in new measure
With Law Commission recommending a series of changes to the online and privacy legislation of the UK, both the creation and sharing deepfakes of pornographic nature without content are to be made illegal. Moreover, the Law Commission also made recommendations regarding tackling the problem of recording someone with hidden cameras without consent. It advised that Police should be given more to confront the issue.
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