Understanding Online Sexual Exploitation of Cildren (OSEC) as the

New Face of Child Trafficking

Sexual exploitation of children is one of the most heinous crimes in the

world today as it targets the most vulnerable members of society – the
children. Cyberspace has provided an easier and wider platform for sexual
predators to access vulnerable children in any part of the world. Online Sexual
Exploitation of Children (OSEC) is a phenomenon that emerged in the recent
years which involves the production, possession, and distribution of child
sexual abuse materials and livestreaming of sexual abuse or exploitation.

The Scale of the Problem

The Philippines has become the global epicenter of live stream sexual abuse,
based on a study by the United Nations International Children’s Education
Fund (UNICEF) in 2016. UNICEF’s findings showed that 80% (8 out of 10) of
children in the Philippines are vulnerable to being victims of online sexual
abuse or bullying. It was also found that 2.5% of children in the country have
had their nude bodies or sexual activities shown on the Internet or on a
cellphone.

The COVID pandemic facilitated a dramatic rise in OSEC cases. The

Philippines has the longest and most restrictive lockdown, imposed by a
government, in the world, to contain the spread of the virus, which began in
March 2020. The country’s Department of Justice recorded a threefold
increase in OSEC cases since the quarantine restrictions were enforced.
Sexual predators, locked in their homes due to quarantine, have increasingly
turned to cyberspace in order to victimize children. Likewise, the economic
hardship brought about by the pandemic is compelling many Filipino families
to participate in this online sexual trafficking just to survive.

“When the pandemic started in March, [we] received several referrals thus we
needed to improvise our residential space to make room for the rescued
survivors. We also had to decline a lot of referrals because of the quarantine
protocols and lack of bedspace” explained Gemalyn Viola a social worker in
Ruhama Center for Women and Children, a partner assessment center for
OSEC, attesting to the sudden and steady increase of OSEC cases needing
emergency placement.

WHI has been an active player in the prevention campaign to spread

awareness about OSEC by enabling the local churches, Civic Society
Organizations (CSO) and government social services. Through the Philippine
Children Ministries Network, Church of the Nazarene, and Set Free Movement,
387 youth along with key adults in protective roles – which included 368
church lay-leaders and parents – were empowered through trainings on OSEC
awareness, online safety, and referral protocols in several local communities.
These awareness campaigns are now being conducted virtually due to the
prevailing health risks but has been reaching a wider audience nationwide.

Furthermore, WHI implemented the Protecting At-risk-children Vulnerable to

Exploitation project (PAVE) through the United States Department of State’s
Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons and The Salvation Army.

WHI worked with the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the
Local Government Units of several municipalities/cities with high OSEC cases
to strengthen aftercare services for survivors. It likewise established a wide
network of partner residential and community based child care agencies
which included 7 shelters in the National Capital Region and 9 shelters in the
Central Visayas Region. A few of these include those of The Salvation Army,
Love146, Cure Foundation, My Refuge House and SOS Children’s Village. WHI
helped in coordinating referrals among its partners for placement options for
OSEC survivors needing protective custody.

Nursing the Wound

The average age of survivors is 12, but children as young as two months old
have been subjected to this horrific form of abuse. The children are groomed
to perform sexual acts in photos or live stream for the consumption of sexual
predators – mostly from first world countries. Acts conducted by the children
within the show vary from performing provocative dance numbers to, in
extreme cases, having sexual intercourse with another child or adult. These
complex victimization experiences compounded by the sudden separation
from their families has tremendous negative impact on the mental health of
the survivors.

In the PAVE project, WHI focused on enhancing the clinical care practices
among government and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) who are
serving OSEC survivors. Over 170 social workers, counselors, and
psychologists were trained on evidence-based therapeutic modalities that
they can use to facilitate holistic recovery of the survivors from their abuse
experiences. Through WHI’s capacity building programs, 162 OSEC survivors
were provided with therapeutic interventions to support their healing
throughout the 30-month course of the PAVE Project.

A WHI-trained social worker, Lander Perez, working in Kanlungan Sa ErMa

Ministries (KSEM), said “The interventions for the OSEC survivors really helped
us to understand the behavior of the children and on how to deal with it
accordingly. Most of our OSEC survivors in the shelter have big changes in
their level of trauma. Changes in their behaviors and perspectives are also
very evident. It is not easy to handle a case of an OSEC survivor especially if
you do not have any knowledge or skills on how to properly handle cases such
as this.”

Addressing the Roots

The Philippines has been plagued by OSEC specifically due to widespread

poverty, lack of jobs, internal and external migration, and cultural norms that
uphold prioritizing family over one’s own well-being, according to a study of
Terre de Homes (2013). OSEC is made more convenient by the country’s high
Internet access rate and English proficiency. The Philippines is being targeted
to meet the increasing demand because of the vulnerability that comes along
with high rates of poverty, which creates an environment for people to more
easily be taken advantage of.

At the heart of this crime are impoverished Filipino families. In a recent finding
of a partner organization- International Justice Mission (2020), it was
concluded that OSEC is usually a family-based crime. They found that of the
217 victims where the relationship to the trafficker was known, the abuse was
perpetrated by biological parents (41%) and other relatives (42%).
Furthermore, of the survivors rescued together, 40% were siblings, and
another 13% shared some other familial relationship (e.g. cousin).

WHI has been responding to this through reintegration programs that help
families towards rehabilitation. The survivors and their families were provided
with therapeutic interventions to address underlying dysfunctions in the
family. They are provided with support to start anew in forms of medical,
educational, livelihood support and connections to helpful networks. Since
2018, 149 families were provided with reintegration support.

“We don’t skip meals anymore, we can even have snacks and my children can
now enjoy snacks whenever they want it, unlike before that they just watch
with envy the other children who are enjoying their food. We now have a
comfortable life; we are earning enough” a smiling Nanay (mother) Imelda
shared. Back in April 2019, Nanay Imelda watched in tears as her daughter
Cary, 14 years old, along with four other children, were rescued by officers in a
joint operation. She was dumbfounded to know that Cary was lured by
neighborhood perpetrators into OSEC. Cary was groomed to believe that it
would be a good opportunity because she could help her siblings with some
of their needs. After placement in a residential facility, Cary was eventually
reintegrated in July 2020. WHI facilitated her reintegration and the family was
initially supported with livelihood assistance. With a new fishing business to
start out, Nanay Imelda and her husband were able to rebuild their family.
They likewise underwent family sessions with a WHI social worker, which
included psychoeducation on minimizing re-victimization.

Furthermore, WHI’s child sponsorship program in indigenous communities

empowers families at a preventive level. Through education, the children and
their families are provided with a chance to be alleviated from poverty.
Education also serves as a powerful child protection measure that enables
children and their families to be informed and to speak up about their rights.
To date, there are about 350 students under the child sponsorship program in
the Philippines. There is no known incidence of exploitation and abuse among
these children who are being sponsored.

Families that are forced to find ways to survive each day because of socio-
economic disadvantage will remain vulnerable to possible exploitation.
Providing opportunities for families to rise beyond poverty is key to essentially
eliminating the root cause of this tragedy.

An On-Going OSEC Threat

The OSEC crisis did not begin with COVID – it was already there beforehand,
affecting hundreds of thousands of children. But the pandemic was pivotal in
turning this crisis into a much greater catastrophe; one that can permanently
scar innocent children. The Filipino families are at a much greater vulnerability
because of the health risks, restrictions, and the economic difficulties brought
about by the pandemic. Sexual predators, on the other hand, are lurking in
cyberspace taking advantage of those crippled by the crisis.

WHI has been responding to the threat of OSEC. However, this is an on-going
mission that needs collaborative efforts from various sectors of society.

Together with your help, we can secure a future for Filipino children and
children around the world; one that is free from exploitation and abuse.