MANILA: Women in the Philippines have praised the government's move to ban “cyber sex” and online cameras of women performing sexual acts on themselves. The move has seen much optimism in the country as women say it will help reduce sexual crimes against women. “We have seen how the sexualization of women in Asia has also been correlated with the rising number of sexual violence against women, so this is a positive move by the government,” said social worker Manuela Tipini. She told Bikyamasr.com that in recent years, she has received numerous women who have been beaten up by their partners “because they refused to do acts the men had seen on the Internet or in films. “We need to change the perception of women in this country and the region,” she added. According to the government definition, cybersex includes women, or “cam girls” who chat and perform sexual acts on webcams or the Internet for clients. The Philippines government argued that too often under-age girls are performing the acts online and this is in violation to basic human rights law. Anyone breaking the law faces a fine of 250,000 Philippine pesos ($6,000; £3,700) and a jail term of up to 6 months. The new legislation is part of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, signed by President Benigno Aquino on September 15. The act defines cybersex as “the wilful engagement, maintenance, control, or operation, directly or indirectly, of any lascivious exhibition of sexual organs or sexual activity, with the aid of a computer system, for favour or consideration.” One of the authors of the law, senator Edgardo Angara, said the act was needed to detect, investigate and suppress cybercrime such as hacking, cybersex, identity theft, spamming, and child pornography online. The National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police are now meant to set up a cybercrime unit “to exclusively handle cases involving violations of this act.” To deal with these cases, the authorities are planning to create cybercrime courts with specially trained judges. The law states that the regional trial court “shall have jurisdiction over any violation of the provisions of this Act including any violation committed by a Filipino national regardless of the place of commission … if any of the elements was committed within the Philippines.” For women in the country, especially those who have been forced into performing sexual acts online, they hope that it will also see support for women who had made a living by going online. “While I am happy that this is a law, for others it will mean a loss of their livelihoods, so the government must act to support the girls who were legally performing,” said Katie, a Filipina woman who had run her own cam for the past two years before quitting last summer.
