Online exploitation of children rising

The SaferKidsPH campaign aims to raise national awareness on the extent and impact of online sexual exploitation and abuse of children in the Philippines.

Poverty, accessible Internet, smart phones, prevailing social norms, change in parenting dynamics due to migration and ease in speaking English are proving to be a lethal combination that puts eight out of 10 Filipino youth at risk of online sexual exploitation.

New technology such as live streaming is contributing to rising incidents of cybercrime in the Philippines, an alarming 80 percent of which is online sexual exploitation and the abuse of children.

At the same time, one out of five Filipino children 13 to 17 years old was reported to have experienced sexual violence in 2018, while half are reported to have experienced online violence such as online bullying, according to the National Baseline Survey on Violence Against Children. The involvement of children’s own families as crime facilitators and the increasing number of foreign perpetrators is likewise alarming.

In fact, cyber tips of possible child abuse provided by concerned individuals is on the rise, increasing by almost 20 times over the past three years.

The Office of the Cybercrime of the Department of Justice received 600,000 cyber tips in 2018, which is a stark rise with 37,715 cyber tips in 2016 and 45,645 in 2017.

Cyber tips are reports made by the public to the United States’ National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) on child abuse being committed with the use of their systems. The NCMEC requires ISP and ESP in the US to submit reports of child abuse.

But in contrast, only 32 convictions on cyber-trafficking has been meted out since 2017 by the Philippines’ Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking.

“Online sexual exploitation and abuse of children is a crime that transcends territorial jurisdictions. The SaferKidsPH campaign aims to bring more light to this issue,” says Australian Ambassador Steven J. Robinson AO at the launching of SaferKidsPH campaign on 22 October.

The SaferKidsPH campaign aims to raise national awareness on the extent and impact of online sexual exploitation and abuse of children in the Philippines. The campaign is an Australian Government initiative in partnership with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Save the Children Philippines and The Asia Foundation.

The consortium will engage the government, non-government agencies, special task forces and committees, civil society, communities and schools, the private sector, media and other like-minded donors to support and be part of innovative and sustainable solutions.

“For the next six years, the Australian government will support the Philippine government’s efforts to raise national and local awareness on children’s online safety, and promote child-sensitive investigation, prosecution and adjudication of cases,” Robinson said.

“Awareness is the first step to vigilance and action. We can all work together to make the internet a safe place for our children,” he added.

“Online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) violates children’s right to protection. We believe that strengthening child protection systems is crucial in addressing the problem that has been affecting children, mostly in deprived situations,” Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children Atty. Alberto Muyot said.

“We are committed to working with local government units and civil society actors to ensure that there are policies, programs, services, budgets and school and community-based child protection mechanisms in place to address OSAEC. We will also strengthen our work with children, their families, and teachers to raise their awareness on this issue, and mobilize them to help protect children in communities and schools,” he added.

The Asia Foundation, on the other hand, committed to continue to help mainstream and expand child protection for all Filipino children.

“This consortium will work with all actors in the justice system to ensure that the voice of Filipino children navigating the justice system in the Philippines is heard, and together we can help break down barriers to access to justice,” Country Representative of The Asia Foundation Sam Chittick said.

“Online sexual exploitation of children is a hidden crime. It happens in the homes, particularly in the bedrooms of our children,” UNICEF Representative Oyunsaihan Dendevnorov added.

“It is in the coming together of concerned agencies, from government and non-government, our children and their parents, our schools and local communities, of national and international partners, that we can bring this issue to light and stop this grave and egregious violation of our children’s rights. SaferKidsPH is calling on the public to engage. Get to know the issue, join the discourse, report, support, and be part of this movement demanding safety and protection for every child in all the spaces they are in, online and offline,” she adds.