Another obstacle in prosecuting cybercrimes is that many women are reluctant to report cases of violence, including technology-related violence, out of shame or fear of getting the blame. There are also those who report to the NBI and file a police blotter13 but do not follow up on the complaints they filed. In many cases, victims are discouraged because the process is tedious and costly. Because of this, one lawyer interviewed for this study said settling cases out of court has become an attractive option under the Philippine justice system. One important consideration in cases dealing with VAW is the financial capacity of victims to seek legal remedies. Martha had the financial resources and could afford to hire the service of a high-caliber legal counsel. Ruby relied on the probono services of her father’s lawyer-friends, without whose help, it would have been difficult for her to pursue the case because at the time the videos came out she had spent all her savings on a house she just bought. It is especially tough for the children, who are from poor families. Going after the cyber-porn clients abroad is extremely expensive. It is not clear who foots the bill or which government body covers said expenses. The case studies also demonstrated that addressing technology-related violence against women and children requires much more than laws limited to protection, regulation, prevention and criminalization. It requires addressing the structural inequalities and root causes of VAW. For example, when child pornography is happening in communities ravaged by poverty, economic empowerment programs need to be developed to offer alternative livelihoods. More broadly, concrete programs to prevent sexual violence in cyberspace by promoting human rights for all and harnessing ICT’s potential to promote women’s empowerment should also be developed. 13 16 A police blotter is a logbook that contains the daily registry of all crime reports, official summaries of arrest, and other significant events reported in a police station. Seehttp://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/research/Philippines/ Philippine%20National%20Police%20Manual%202010.pdf <End Violence: Women’s Rights and Safety Online>