MANILA – The Department of Justice (DOJ) is eyeing to strengthen laws against human trafficking and child exploitation amid increasingly sophisticated, technology-driven, and cross-border criminal schemes.
According to the DOJ statement on Friday, department officials led by Secretary Fredderick Vida met with Senator Loren Legarda and discussed ways to strengthen Republic Act (RA) 9208, as amended, and RA 11930 to combat technology-driven, cross-border, and increasingly sophisticated schemes.
The DOJ also pushed for the advancement of the Expanded Anti-OSAEC and Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) Bill, which is one of the administration’s priority bills.
The department made proposals to strengthen border control and monitoring systems, including vessel registration, maritime surveillance, and tighter oversight of irregular migration corridors often exploited by traffickers.
It also urged tighter coordination between the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) and the National Coordination Center Against OSAEC and CSAEM for swift, unified, victim-centered action.
“We’re pushing for adaptive laws to seal gaps in our criminal justice system, ensuring every victim, especially women and children, is protected by the rule of law,” Vida said. (PNA)
