July 15, 2010
AHRC Raises Issue of Child Rights
Prof. Vitit Muntarbhorn |
The
Ateneo Human
Rights Center Child Rights Desk
Adhikain para sa Karapatang
Pambata (AKAP) and the Ateneo Law School’s Childs Rights
Elective Course, with the support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation
(FNF) for Liberty, brought together over 200 members of civil society,
students, government, and international organizations in a forum
on Child Rights and Recent Developments in International and Domestic
Law on 15 July 2010. “Multilateral cooperation is important
in order
to address the issue of child
pornography,” Prof. Vitit Muntarbhorn, formerly United
Nations Special Rapporteur on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution
and Child Pornography, who was one of the speakers emphasized.
Ms. Alicia Bonoan, Director IV of the Standards Bureau at the
Department
of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) admitted that child
pornography is
one of the most pressing issues
in the Philippines today. Atty. Albert Muyot, Child Protection Specialist
of UNICEF Philippines, also acknowledged that child pornography
is indeed prevalent in the country, although there are challenges
in acquiring accurate data. He discussed the Anti-Child Pornography
Act of 2009 (Republic Act No. 9775), which takes a
strong
stance against sexual rights exploitation, and which is
in compliance with international treaties.
Prof. Muntarbhorn talked about the Convention on the Rights of
the Child. He stressed that children should be protected especially
that child pornography has increasingly become a transnational
crime due to the advances in technology. He recommended
to focus on the 5 Ps: Prevention through education
of families and children; Protection through
laws and programs; Prosecution of culprits, not
child-victims; Provision of help and cooperation
in the area of legal and medical remedies, hotlines, and industry
response; and Participation of the child and
family, including peer influence, peer counselling, peer monitoring,
and peer education.
Prof. Muntarbhorn is a member of the Working Group for an ASEAN
Human Rights Mechanism. He was in Manila for a short visit. He
also gave a talk on North Korea as a former UN Special Rapporteur
on the Situation of Human Rights in Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea.
Atty. Sedfrey Candelaria, Associate Dean of the Ateneo School
of Law, urged the students who will be future lawyers “to
maintain links with the community and collaborate in the
ongoing efforts to prevent child sexual exploitation.”
