Soliman calls on nosy neighbors to help save kids from cyberporn

MANILA, Philippines–Social workers would welcome the help of nosy neighbors to stop cyberpornography which has been victimizing children and minors.

Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman urged the public to report suspected child pornography activities in their neighborhood, saying that neighbors always know what’s going on in their community.

“This should be a whole community effort. The neighbors know, the barangay officials know, so they should report them. They should not allow children to be victimized,” Soliman said on Friday.

Authorities have renewed their call on the public to help stop cyberporn activities after the National Bureau of Investigation arrested Australian national Peter Gerard Scully for running a cyberpornography ring that abused dozens of Filipino children, including babies, for over a decade.

The NBI also charged Scully, 52, and his Filipino partner, Liezyl Margallo, with murder and rape after the remains of a 12-year-old girl were found in his former home in Surigao City.

Among Scully’s alleged victims was a one-year-old baby. The victim is now three years old.

Soliman said that since 2010, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has assisted the victims in 113 cases of child pornography.

Of the cases, 86 are in court, while 27 children have been reunited with their families or placed in government and private shelters.

Soliman chairs the Inter-Agency Council against Child Pornography.

The DSWD has created a Twitter account @savestreetkids apart from its official account @dswdserves where the public can report the locations of street children.