Anti-Cyber pornography, prostitution advocates gather in Cebu for reg'l dialog
By Amorganda A. Saludar
CEBU, Nov. 17 (PIA) -- Anti-Cyber pornography and prostitution advocates gathered at Dohera hotel in Mandaue City on November 13 for a regional cluster dialog to come up with concrete programs in combatting cyber-porn/prostitution in the country.
Amihan Abueva of Asia Against Child Trafficking and End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking (ECPAT) Philippines, one of the resource speakers in the dialogue said that here in the Philippines many regions have cases of cyber pornography and cyber prostitution involving not just women and children but also men.
“We should take note that cyber pornography and cyber prostitution also involves men as victims,” Abueva said.
She added that keeping records of the cases in every region is very essential to have successful measures such as workshop on cyber pornography and cyber prostitution.
“Local situation is very crucial for the success of any measures like this workshop,” Abueva stressed.
With the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-7) taking the lead, various stakeholders and anti-cyber pornography advocates recommended to address the issue of harmonizing national laws and local ordinances across the ASEAN region.
There is an urgent need to synchronize comparability of definitions, penalties, extraditions and extraterritoriality and trial of perpetrators across the member states in the ASEAN region to be effective in the campaign against cyber pornography and prostitution, the dialog noted.
According to DSWD-7 the regional dialog in Cebu and other up-coming dialogs in other parts of the country was an off-shoot recommendation from the 3-day ASEAN Conference on Working Toward a Cyber Pornography and Cyber Prostitution–Free Southeast Asia held on June 19-21 at Diamond Hotel, Manila.
The said conference agreed to have each member’s states conduct a regional cluster dialog to have a local overview of the situation and to form and create measures per region because cases and their extent varies from region to region, this is learned.
The ASEAN conference also became the platform to enhance the competency of ASEAN member states in addressing the gaps and to ensure responsive and comprehensive programs for victims-survivor of cyber pornography and cyber prostitution.
The same format was adopted in the regional dialog here that was expected to widen awareness, understanding, realities and dynamics of cyber pornography/prostitution.
Topics presented in the regional dialogue included Legal Bases; Coordination and Protection Mechanisms; Preventive and Response Strategies.
It also included workshop on the cases of cyber pornography and cyber prostitution in every locality and recommendations on how to improve measures in the combat against these issues.
The outputs of the Cebu and other region’s dialogues will served as inputs of the Philippines for the next ASEAN Conference on Working Toward a Cyber Pornography and Cyber Prostitution –Free Southeast Asia in 2013. (mbcn/AYS/PIA-CEBU)
===========
NSO7 to hold data forum on biz, ICT survey results
By Amorganda A. Saludar
CEBU, Nov. 17 (PIA) -- The National Statistics Office (NSO-7) is set to hold a Data Forum on November 21 at the Golden Peak Hotel, Gorordo Ave., Cebu City on the preliminary results of the 2010 Annual Survey of Philippine Business and Industry (ASPBI) and 2010 Survey on Information and Communication Technology (SICT).
The presentation of the business and ICT survey results are helpful to the government and the private sectors for the formulation of policies and development of economic plans.
The forum aims to strengthen the partnership between NSO and business establishments involved to focus and raise awareness on the relevance of these economic data to them as well as other stakeholders and data users.
According to NSO-7, data forum and or presentation is an annual event for establishments, concern government agencies and other stakeholders to come up formulas essential for planning and development of the economy, business, technology, communication and other related areas.
Data results will also guide government to form interventions in the areas that need to be taken cared of or prioritized. (mbcn/AYS/PIA-CEBU)