IJM launches Osec compendium of legal resources

Photo from IJM
Photo from IJM

INTERNATIONAL Justice Mission (IJM) launched its first ever “Compendium of Legal Resources for the Prosecution of Online Sexual Exploitation of Children Cases in the Philippines.”

A compact, “one-stop-shop" legal tool, this publication is a compilation of most, if not all, relevant laws, implementing rules and regulations, jurisprudence, issuances, including templates necessary for the prosecution and conviction of perpetrators of online sexual exploitation of children (Osec).

The Philippines already has strong laws against the online sexual exploitation of children but to end this crime, such laws should be effectively enforced. As a result, IJM lawyers have compiled the Compendium -- a product of decades of experience working alongside the Philippine authorities in law enforcement, public prosecution, and social work. Their experience in collaborating on cases with government partners in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao have served as the main resource for insights included in the publication.

One of these partners is the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (Iacat) through the leadership of Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay-Villar, who endorsed the publication saying: “I would highly encourage our public prosecutors specially those who are handling Osec cases to make the most out of this resource and to utilize it as you prosecute Osec cases.”

Lawyer Nelisa Guevara-Garcia, head of the Prosecution Development of IJM Manila Field Office, expressed her deep gratitude for the team behind the compendium, saying: "The Compendium of Legal Resources for the prosecution of Osec was a product of many conversations with the Manila Prosecution Development Team that began in 2018. Our main goal was to come up with an accessible tool that our partner public prosecutors can utilize and reference while prosecuting online sexual exploitation of children cases. This compendium is the first of its kind in the realm of Osec prosecution; and it is our hope that this will be seen as an important resource that would further support and equip our government prosecutor allies in the fight to end online sexual exploitation of children in the Philippines.”

This legal publication gives swift access to interconnected child protection laws, related statutes, rules of procedure, case index, sample legal documents and helpful jurisprudence in one handy volume.

Lawyer Reynaldo Bicol, IJM’s Manila Field Office director, said: “This Compendium is a product of years of casework partnership with public prosecutors. This is not just a collection of relevant laws and jurisprudence on trafficking in persons and Osec, but a brilliant concentration of the letter and spirit of the law. The resources you will find here have enabled IJM’s lawyers to obtain convictions and favorable judgments against the most notorious trafficking criminals in our courts of law, in partnership with the government.”

IJM hopes that the Compendium will serve as a powerful resource for prosecutors and law enforcers, who are engaged in the difficult legal battles of upholding the rights of our children and bringing criminals of this crime to justice.

Hard copies are available through Central Books nationwide. To request for digital copies, interested parties may reach out to their IJM contact or send an email request to: globalosechub@ijm.org. (PR)

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