June 13, 2024 - In a significant move against online human trafficking, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian led a meeting with representatives of META Philippines, the parent company of Facebook, on Thursday, June 13.
The meeting was a response to the alarming rise in Facebook accounts being used for the online selling of babies under the pretense of adoption. Secretary Gatchalian emphasized the need for a robust mechanism to report these activities directly to META or through other reporting channels.
“We have created a working relationship with META to develop a campaign against human trafficking,” said Secretary Gatchalian. He stressed the need to treat online illegal adoption with the same severity as violations of the Anti-OSAEC (Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children) law.
The meeting was attended by key DSWD officials including Undersecretary for International Affairs, Attached and Supervised Agencies (ASAs) Emmeline Aglipay Villar, Assistant Secretary Elaine Fallacurna, and Undersecretary Janella Estrada, the executive director of the NACC.
During the meeting, Undersecretary Estrada informed META representatives that 16 of the 23 reported Facebook pages involved in the online selling of infants had been taken down. However, she expressed concern over new pages being created by those behind this illegal activity.
Undersecretary Estrada urged Clare Amador, META Philippines Director for Public Policy, to take immediate action against Facebook pages clearly engaged in the illegal selling of babies online.
In response to the situation, Secretary Gatchalian instructed Undersecretary Janella to form a team within the NACC to monitor these pages and collaborate with META to create a more robust mechanism to combat this form of human trafficking. This collaboration marks a significant step in the fight against online human trafficking and the protection of children’s rights.