Gov’t urged to address children’s online sexual abuse

MANILA – Salinlahi Alliance for Children’s Concerns called on the government to address alarming cases of online sexual abuse of children.

In the 2022 study of International Justice Mission (IJM) and the University of Nottingham Rights Lab, nearly 500,000 Filipino children were trafficked to produce child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) in that year alone. The number may be higher as the crime is underreported.

Read: Rights groups call for a safer environment for children

The study was presented by IJM’s national director Samson Inocencio in the recent Senate inquiry of the Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality.

“This type of abuse against children is widespread due to the extreme poverty that many Filipino families endure. They struggle to meet their daily needs because of low wages, lack of job opportunities, and the rising cost of goods,” Salinlahi Spokesperson Trixie Manalo said.

During the Senate inquiry, Ruby (not her real name), a survivor of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC), narrated her story in front of lawmakers and stakeholders. 

The abuse started when Ruby was 16 years old, a recent high school graduate. “A stranger added me on Facebook, now Meta, asking me if I needed a job. During that time, I really needed a job. I live in the province. I was an orphan. I lost my mother and father when I was thirteen years old,” Ruby said.

The perpetrator promised that she will be working in a computer shop with free food, boarding house, and the opportunity to continue studies in college. She was given P5,000 to go to Pampanga.

However, after learning the nature of the job her perpetrator expected her to do, Ruby immediately wanted out. “She explained it to me as if it were just a show—simple, you just have to perform for customers online,” she said.

The perpetrator refused to let her go and demanded she pay back the ?5,000 that had been sent to her. Trapped, Ruby was forced to work to cover the debt. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, the burden only grew heavier.

“My debts kept piling up. Out of desperation to escape, I caused a scene inside the house when I heard police sirens… The little money I earned from entertaining foreigners had to be handed over to the perpetrators as punishment for breaking house rules.”

For every trafficker, there are 3.5 child victims, the IJM report said. Meanwhile, government data showed around 1,500 victims and at-risk children assisted, around 500 law enforcement operations, 445 suspects arrested, and 270 offenders convicted.

Manalo said that it is important for the Marcos Jr. administration to take this issue seriously. “Aside from strengthening programs for child protection at both the national and local levels, the long-term solution to eradicating OSAEC is to address extreme poverty.”

The IJM’s recommendations are to cultivate community-based reporting, enhance criminal justice system, enforce anti-online sexual abuse and exploitation of children law tech provision to disrupt its production and distribution, expedite detection, reporting, and blocking of suspicious financial transactions, demand-side governments to pass online safety legislation with survivor consultation, and further suvivor-informed research.

“This is a crime fueled by demand. The Philippines being the supplier of the child sexual exploitation materials, the demand-side countries, especially Western countries, are consumers of these materials,” Inocencio said.
The Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) Act is a Philippine law designed to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation. It implements comprehensive strategies to prevent, identify, and penalize these crimes, strengthening law enforcement protocols, enhancing international collaboration, and providing essential support services for victims. The law also holds internet service providers and digital platforms accountable for OSAEC and CSAEM incidents. (DAA)

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