By Cong B. Corrales
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — At her office in the Hall of Justice here, Prosecutor Charisse Galarrita-Bitoon juggles a docket full of digital evidence – child abuse videos, chat logs, money transfer receipts – while bracing young witnesses to face their exploiters in court.
According to Bitoon, a court battle against online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) is personal as it is procedural.
“Many of our victims are retraumatized by the process itself,” she explains, describing how defense lawyers sometimes intimidate or shame survivors to derail testimony," She said.
The tide may now be turning for the better. In a landmark case in Iligan City in 2024, Department of Justice prosecutors secured the conviction of a 32-year-old woman involved in online sex trafficking.
“Most offenders are often relatives of the victims, and during trial, the victims fear testifying,” noted Prosecutor Louie Borja.
The prosecution employed videotaped in-depth disclosure interviews (VIDIs) of the victims, and the court admitted the materials as evidence. The National Coordination Center Against OSAEC and CSAEM said the “landmark conviction demonstrates the judiciary’s commitment to combating OSAEC and prioritizing child protection through trauma-informed tools like VIDIs.”
The Northern Mindanao Medical Center has established a one-stop facility to streamline trauma-informed care for rescued children. By bringing investigators, prosecutors, and counselors together, the center ensures survivors can provide evidence and receive treatment without the trauma of repeated interviews.
“It’s about collecting evidence and data without retraumatizing the victim,” explains Khristine Kay Calingin of the Philippine Commission on Women, which helped set up the center.
(The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) provided grant support for this story's production.)
