I.
What is online child sexual exploitation
Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) occurs when people under the
age of 18 engage in or are forced into prostitution and pornography in exchange for
money or material payment.
Online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC) refers to child sexual exploitation which
is facilitated or takes place through the Internet and other related media.
Child Sexual Exploitation Material (CSEM) refers to any visual or audio (and/or any
combination thereof) representation of minors under the age of 18 engaged in sexual
activity or of minors engaging in lewd or erotic behavior recorded, produced and/or
published to arouse the viewer’s sexual interest.
Child Sexual Abuse material (CSAM), which depicts the contact sexual abuse of a
child, is a subset of CSEM.
Global law enforcement agencies have reported a rise in demand for child sexual exploitation
materials (CSEM) coinciding with the time of lockdowns.
The sexual exploitation of children is, sadly, not a new phenomenon. It has existed for many
centuries, has victimized children of any age from all countries, and has been committed by
offenders of all backgrounds from around the world. What has changed however, are the ways in
which these offences occur and the mechanisms that facilitate these types of abuse.
II. Online child sexual exploitation in the Philippines.
Despite the legal mandate to combat CSEC and OSEC in the Philippines through Republic Act
10364 (Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012) and Republic Act 9775 (Anti Child-
Pornography Act of 2009), CSEC and OSEC remain to be significant problems in the Philippines.
With Filipinos consecutively topping the world in terms of social media use, there is a lot of room
for abusers to engage in sexual exploitation of children behind closed doors and in front of a
webcam. The prevalence of CSEC and OSEC can be traced to the widespread poverty in the
country. Children - especially those from rural areas - desperate to escape poverty or provide for
their families are lured by promises of jobs and material wealth.
UNICEF and the Child Rights Network reported that several factors in the Philippines allow for
easy proliferation of online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC). These include:
widespread poverty and resorting to OSEC as a form of income
cheap internet and smartphones
ability to speak English well
wide availability of money remittance centers
prevailing norms of secrecy
lack of parental supervision, sometimes caused by parents having to work abroad
lack of resources to investigate and prosecute perpetrators, and rescue and rehabilitate
victims
The Philippines has been dubbed by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNCF) the “global
epicenter of the live-stream sexual abuse trade.” One in 5 Filipino children are vulnerable
to online sexual exploitation.
Incidence of child online sexual abuse and exploitation in the Philippines is “worsening” amid the
COVID-19 pandemic, according to an official of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNCF).
UNICEF also noted the “alarming” involvement of children’s own family members as crime
facilitators.
III. Data & Statistics
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF): 90 percent of Filipino kids can access the
internet whenever they want and that 59 percent of them can connect to the internet
without the supervision of their parents or guardians. Eight out of 10 children have
experienced violence in the past and most experienced it at home, the place where they
should feel safe. The studies also revealed that two in 10 Filipino kids are vulnerable to be
victims of child online sexual exploitation and abuse
Department of Justice Office of Cybercrime: 279,166 cyber tips from the lockdown
period of March to May 2020. The office only received 76,561 cyber tips in that same
period last year, marking an over 200% increase.
o Received at least 600,000 cybertips of sexual images of Filipino children in 2018.
International Justice Mission (IJM): From 2010 to 2017, global law enforcement data
shows that the Philippines was the largest known source country of cases, receiving more
than eight times as many referrals as any other country.
o 285 victims rescued in that time period, the median age is 11 years old, 41% of the
crime was perpetrated by their biological parents, and 86% of the victims were
females.
o The prevalence rate of internet-based child sexual exploitation in the country more
than tripled in the past three years. The study shows that the estimated number of
IP addresses in the Philippines used for child sexual exploitation each year rose to
81,723 in 2017 from about 23,333 in 2014.
Child Rights Network (CRN): “With the widening availability of internet connection in the
Philippines, and with the ECQ prompting children to spend more time online, sexual predators
can find it easier to prey on children."
Never has it been more important to work together to protect children.
REFERENCES:
Abad, M. (2020). Why online sexual exploitation of children happens in the Philippines. Retrieved
on Oct. 14, 2020 from https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/things-to-know-online-sexual-
exploitation-children-philippines.
Presse, A. (2020). Philippines tops world for online sex abuse. Retrieved on Oct. 14, 2020 from
https://www.thejakartapost.com/seasia/2020/05/21/philippines-tops-world-for-online-child-sex-
abuse-study.html
