In the Philippines, upholding the best interest of the child is a legal obligation which follows from national and international laws. Examining Supreme Court decisions on the best interest of the child shows that it is primarily applied in custody-related cases, while there is a lack of rulings specifically on cases of online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC). This paper examines the potential application of the best interest of the child principle in OSEC proceedings and identifies lessons which can be drawn from existing jurisprudence. Findings include the need to honour the voices of children-survivors and to consider expert opinions. The paper also finds that an OSEC-specific interpretation of the principle should be developed in jurisprudence, particularly considering the risk of retraumatizing survivors during the legal process, with the aim of truly upholding the best interest of the child in the digital age.
Edited by Prabha Kotiswaran and Sam Okyere. This is the third volume of the series Beyond Trafficking and Slavery Short Course. The articles in this volume outline and critically interrogate the role of the state, national legislation and in...Read More
Modern slavery thrives in crisis situations. During conflicts, natural and man-made disasters, and humanitarian situations, adults and children are vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking. Conflict situations often exacerbate existing vulnerabili...Read More
The report shows that Safe and Fair migration cannot happen in a silo – the factors that produce gender segregated labour markets, industries dependent on flexible, underpaid and overworked migrant labour require a systemic change. This change can...Read More
The data in this report represents signals and cases from January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019 and is accurate as of July 30, 2020. Cases of trafficking may be ongoing or new information may revealed to the National Hotline over time. Consequen...Read More
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