Norway and the Philippines have signed an agreement to strengthen their cooperation in combating child exploitation, especially online abuse.
At the Interpol Conference from November 4-7, 2024, the Norwegian Police Service and the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) signed an agreement to boost cooperation in tackling child exploitation. Signed by Norwegian Police Commissioner Benedicte Bjørnland and NBI Director Judge Jaime B. Santiago, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) focuses on fighting sexual crimes against children, especially targeting online abuse.
This partnership comes shortly after a new report from Norway’s National Criminal Investigation Service (Kripos) revealed that many direct-order sexual abuse cases involve underage victims in the Philippines. A practice known as “direct order-based abuse,” which allows buyers to request and pay for live-streamed abuse of minors.
The MoU aims to strengthen the collaborative efforts and further enhance bilateral cooperation between Norway and the Philippines in combating sexual crimes and abuse of children, in combating sexual crimes and abuse of children most especially the field Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC).
Read more from ScandAsia: Norwegian police: Victims of online abuse mainly in the Philippines
