MANILA, Philippines – A senator is pushing for the passage of a bill that seeks to impose stiff penalties on people who exchange lewd and illicit photos of women and children on social media.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, chair of the Senate committee on women, made the call on Thursday, July 6, following reports of secret groups on Facebook and other social media platforms that actively use and share obscene photos of women and children.

These groups include “Pastor Hokage Bible Study,” with members using “Amen” to express approval for indecent photos posted on the page. Some of the groups’ pages have been shut down after they were reported to FB, but new ones have been created to replace them, tapping the same members.

“These people have no right to enjoy our Internet freedom only to abuse our women and children. We will not allow them to shame our young women, suppress their right to express themselves through social media and contribute to a culture of misogyny and hate. We will unmask all these misogynists, prosecute them to the full extent of the law and hold them accountable,” Hontiveros said in a statement.

Senate Bill 1251 or the Anti-Gender-Based Electronic Violence (GBEV) bill seeks to penalize people responsible for misogynistic and homophobic attacks on social media.

The bill seeks the penalty of imprisonment of 5 to 10 years and a fine of  P100,000 to P500,000.

In the case of the “Pastor Hokage” Facebook group, Hontiveros said the maximum penalty should be imposed. After all, the offenses were done repeatedly, involved multiple women and children, and may even be profited from.

“We must put an end to this online locker room talk, which is a manifestation of the culture of misogyny and commodification of women prevalent in our country right now,” Hontiveros said.

The Senate committee is set to investigate the issue, in coordination with Facebook, pro-women groups, and the National Bureau of Investigation. – Rappler.com