MANILA – In 2022 alone, nearly half a million Filipino children, or roughly 1 in 100 children, were trafficked to produce child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) for profit, according to estimates from the pioneering Scale of Harm prevalence study by International Justice Mission (IJM) and the University of Nottingham Rights Lab.
Complementing other studies that broadly investigated online sexual abuse and exploitation of children, the Scale of Harm study specifically measured the prevalence of the production of CSEM, especially livestreamed child sexual abuse, for profit. In this crime, a local trafficker sexually abuses a Filipino child in person while a foreign offender, typically from Western or developed countries, watches the abuse happen in real time via video call.
“As a survivor who knows the pain of online sexual exploitation, the study’s findings underscore the urgency for stronger collective action to protect innocent children,” said Ruby (not her real name), a survivor leader and one of the survivor consultants who helped shape the study. “Co-designed by survivors, this study is informed by lived experiences. With recommendations involving government, tech and financial companies, civil society organizations, and individuals in our communities, this study marks a crucial step forward.”
Scale of Harm also estimates that nearly a quarter of a million adult Filipinos, or roughly 3 in every 1,000 adults, engaged in this type of trafficking last year. The study confirms that this crime is widespread across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, yet it is underreported to authorities.
“The Philippine government has been relentless in combating the commission of online sexual abuse or exploitation of children and proliferation of child sexual abuse or exploitation material. We believe that the prevalence of this crime would have been significantly higher if not for the interventions made over the past several years by the Department of Justice, together with the other government agencies and civil society organizations. Nevertheless, this fight is far from over, and we must continue to intensify our efforts. Thus, we urge the public to become more actively involved by promptly reporting these crimes, as this will help safeguard more victims and swiftly bring traffickers to justice,” said Department of Justice – Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) Undersecretary-in-charge Nicholas Ty.
IACAT was among the members of an external advisory council convened to assist in developing a methodology for the prevalence study.
Lawyer Samson Inocencio, Regional Vice President and National Director of IJM’s Program Against Online Sexual Exploitation of Children, said: “Collaborative efforts led by the Philippine government over the years have laid a strong foundation for curbing this technology-enabled crime. Along with other interventions, we need to continue safeguarding more victims and holding more perpetrators accountable. By doing so, we create deterrence and cultivate an environment that provides lasting protection for vulnerable children. The study has outlined clear steps that we can take together moving forward.”
As of August 2023, data from IJM-supported operations reveals that Philippine authorities have brought 1,181 victims and at-risk individuals to safety and apprehended 359 suspected perpetrators, with at least 202 of them already convicted.
IJM undertook Scale of Harm over the course of two years, in partnership with the University of Nottingham’s Rights Lab in the U.K and several world-class experts, researchers, and field practitioners from organizations across the technology, financial, government, and child protection sectors.
“The study marks a significant leap forward in understanding the scale of selling livestreamed and new images and videos of child sexual abuse in the Philippines. Building on the previous 2020 OSEC study led by IJM, Scale of Harm employed rigorous methodologies, including national household surveys and data analysis, to provide a comprehensive assessment of the crime’s prevalence. It also incorporated valuable inputs from survivors through their involvement in survey design and focus group discussions,” said Rights Lab Director Prof. Zoe Trodd.
Survivors identified gaps in awareness and understanding of trafficking to produce CSEM, as well as limited public knowledge of identifying exploitative online behaviors. They also shared tactics employed by traffickers to conceal illegal activities and cited socio-cultural factors contributing to underreporting, particularly in cases with existing victim-trafficker relationships.
Scale of Harm has introduced urgent recommendations to address the trafficking of children to produce new CSEM. Governments, NGOs, community leaders, and the public are urged to intensify their efforts in increasing the reporting of this crime. Law enforcement agencies are called upon to heighten actions not only against local traffickers but also remote offenders abroad.
The study recommends local initiatives that focus on changing community norms and raising awareness. Survivor-led community sensitization is seen as a powerful tool to drive these changes and create deterrence at the local level.
Additionally, the study highlights the necessity of enforcing government regulations requiring the use of safety by design technology. This technology is crucial for preventing the creation and distribution of CSEM. The private sector is also urged to play its part by enhancing detection and reporting mechanisms on technology platforms, encouraging collaboration among tech, finance, and law enforcement.
Survivors urged researchers to look into how trafficking to produce CSEM becomes normalized, particularly concerning foreign offenders engaging in relationships with minors and local traffickers who seek financial gain.
Meanwhile, a global call to action urges governments to enact online safety laws, with survivor input.
“Other studies have found that demand-side offenders are commonly based in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Europe, and other Western or developed countries. They exploit the financial disparity between them and traffickers to abuse children, paying Philippine-based traffickers by international money transfer to livestream abuse and send new child abuse images and videos. This means that effectively protecting children from this crime and reducing its prevalence requires greater global collaboration and radically improved tech and financial sector detection, reporting, and prevention on their platforms,” said John Tanagho, Executive Director of IJM’s Center to End Online Sexual Exploitation of Children.
IJM released the prevalence study findings today at an event co-organized by Kumu and Sofitel
Philippine Plaza Manila, in the presence of over a hundred key government, civil society, and private sector partners.
To report information about online child sexual exploitation, contact the Philippine National Police – Women and Children Protection Center at 0966-725-5961 (Globe) and 0919-777-7377 (Smart). PR