"WIPE out Osec!" This is the battle-cry waged by the Department of Justice-Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (DOJ-Iacat) in Region 11 Anti-Trafficking Task Force (RATTF 11), in partnership with the United States Department of Justice Office of the Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (US-DOJ-Opdat) in the recently concluded and the region's first-ever online sexual exploitation of children (Osec) webinar for investigators and prosecutors against exploitation (Wipe).
Participants of the webinar come from different field offices of DOJ-National Prosecution Service (NPS) 11 and from different law enforcement stations in Mindanao. To ensure active participation and minimize internet connectivity issues, a number of the participants were billeted at the Waterfront Insular Hotel, Davao City, from October 28 to 30.
DOJ Undersecretary-in-charge for Iacat, Atty. Emmeline Aglipay-Villar, welcomed the participants and called on them to continue to actively take on the cudgels of fighting and eradicating Osec, especially at this time when rising Osec cases are observed among other online crimes brought by the pandemic.
Villar also congratulated Iacat-RATTF 11 for obtaining the highest conviction rate in relation to trafficking-in-persons criminal cases and for continually coming up with innovative anti-trafficking activities with its four pillars against human trafficking - prevention, prosecution, protection, and partnership.
The webinar partner, US-DOJ-Opdat also sent its message through Atty. Donald Calvert, resident legal advisor, saying, "The United States Department of Justice-Opdat is pleased to have joined with Iacat for this important webinar to assist prosecutors and law enforcement on investigating and prosecuting online sexual exploitation of children."
Nine modules ranging from a discussion of several Osec-related laws and its correlation, Osec Investigative Techniques, the rule on cybercrime warrants, actual Osec cases both in the US and Philippine settings, the Osec landscape and Osec insights, including knowledge and skills workshops, were tackled during the webinar.
The line-up of expert resource persons include Trial Attorney Charles Schmitz of US-DOJ, Felix Camerino of US-DOJ-Opdat, Atty. Darlene Pajarito -- Justice Systems Director of the Asean-Australian Counter Trafficking, Federal Agent Paul Onken -- social media advisor of the Australian Federal Police, Senior Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Lolita L. Lomanta of the Province of Cebu, Osec/ICAC Investigator Joey A. Gumera of Women and Children Protection Center-Mindanao Field Unit, Jovi James Wee of the International Justice Mission, and DOJ-Iacat RATTF 11's own Deputy Regional Prosecutor Barbara Mae P. Flores, Assistant Regional Prosecutor Ritzel C. Rabor-Polinar and Assistant City Prosecutor Peter Paul M. Tombo.
Wipe Out Osec ver. 1.0 ended with Atty. Janet Grace B. Dalisay-Fabrero, Davao regional prosecutor and Iacat RATTF 11 head, assuring the continued capacity-building and skills-training programs for prosecutors and law enforcers so they will be properly equipped to take the difficult battle against Osec head-on. (With PR)