Published in LiCAS News
In a dimly lit room, three girls wearing half-face masks sway to a sensual rhythm while a guy with a camera circles them, and another guy in the corner tinkers with his laptop. The music stops, then darkness engulfs the stage.
The scene, depicting the production and selling of child sexual abuse or exploitation materials (CSAEM), is just one of the acts of a play presented by Teatro Bubot, a community theater group of children.
The play was organized by Gems Heart Outreach Development at a gathering of educators and child rights advocates in Manila last February 2024.
The entire show tackled various issues faced by children including online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC), prostitution, poverty, gender discrimination, bullying, and mental health.
Children as young as two are learning to use gadgets amid rising online sexual abuse cases in the Philippines. In response, kids are mobilizing to promote online safety, combat abuse, and influence policy-making.
Shaira Mae Pelones, 18, one of the lead actors in the play, told LiCAS News she hopes the performance will enlighten parents, civil organizations, and the government about contemporary challenges children face and guide them toward effective responses.
“This play is intended to help them realize that the children and youth are vulnerable, and for parents to be open-minded and adopt such mindset. Because the children themselves are often unaware that they are already being exploited, we also aim to guide what actions they can take to prevent such situations,” said Pelones.
Exploitation in figures
In 2023, the International Justice Mission (IJM) reported that one in every 100 Filipino children was a victim of trafficking for the production of child sexual exploitation materials.
This means nearly half a million children were trafficked in 2022 for the production of these materials. Meanwhile, about three in every 1,000, or nearly a quarter of a million Filipino adults, were involved in trafficking children for creating new sexual exploitation material.
“Traffickers are often relatives or people known to the victim.”
International Justice Mission (IJM) report
Since 2015, the Philippines has been the leading source of child sexual abuse materials globally, according to IJM.
ChildFund Philippines believes that Filipino children are ideal targets of online sexual predators because of poverty, high internet penetration, availability of cheap smartphones, and English fluency.
Allan Nuñez, Child Protection and Advocacy Specialist of the group, said, “Sometimes, it also depends on the values of the parents. There are instances that they themselves were previously involved in such industries, like the sex industry or sex work, and they have normalized it.”
“Then, there are other cases where it’s syndicated because one reason is that the parent doesn’t know how to protect their child due to what we call the digital divide,” he added.
Despite the prevalence of OSAEC, the state police face significant difficulties in arresting perpetrators and rescuing victims.
From 2019 to 2024, the Philippine National Police’s Women and Children Protection Center (PNP-WCPC), specializing in handling OSAEC cases, has carried out 91 operations in response to referrals from the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Center (PICACC).
They have apprehended 85 perpetrators involved in OSAEC or child pornography, with 35 already convicted. Additionally, they have rescued 384 children from online sexual abuse and exploitation, who have been referred to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for further support and rehabilitation.
The PNP-WCPC has identified Taguig City as the top hotspot of OSAEC cases in the Philippines, while Caloocan City, Valenzuela City, and San Jose del Monte, Bulacan are among the other areas of concern.
First line of defense
Pelones started engaging with Gems Heart as a scholar at the age of 11. Now older, she serves as a youth facilitator, educating children on online safety and rights, driven by her personal encounter with online identity theft and harassment.
She attended training seminars on online safety where she learned how to teach other children about protecting their personal data, being mindful of what to share on social media, and creating safe online spaces.
“One of my motivations is to hopefully create a safe environment for children especially because they are vulnerable to risks. Another thing that motivates me further is to raise awareness since children can now easily access social media,” she said.
She emphasized the crucial role of involving children and youth in policy discussions and tackling issues affecting them.
“Children offer unique perspectives because we understand our experiences and challenges better,” she said.
For Gems Heart, it is important to have child-led activities and campaigns to make their voices heard.
The organization supports approximately 1,500 children in Manila, Pasay, Cavite, and Batangas, offering financial aid and educational materials. It encourages these children to engage in activities and sessions focused on child development, covering topics such as children’s rights, OSAEC, and online safety.
Challenges
ChildFund Philippines, instrumental in advocating for a new anti-OSAEC law, views the passing of Republic Act (R.A.) 11930, or the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) Act in 2022, as a significant step forward in enhancing collaboration between civil society and the government in combating OSAEC.
“We excel in crafting laws, but implementation always poses a challenge. However, we are working hand in hand with the government to ensure proper implementation, which is why dialogues continue,” said Nuñez.
In addition to identifying, tracking, and blocking websites distributing child sexual exploitation materials, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) includes discussions on OSAEC in group conversations within their Digital Innovation for Women Advancement (DIWA) flagship project.
“[On of the goals of DIWA] is to really put to the discussion table issues such as cyberbullying, child online abuses, and all these sorts of things, fake news, and a lot of other ills or disadvantages or evils posed by the cyberspace which we need to respond to,” said Lawyer Jocelle E. Batapa- Sigue, DICT Undersecretary for ICT Industry Development.
Despite a budget increase for cybersecurity in 2024, Batapa-Sigue said there is a need for additional resources to enhance the monitoring and evaluation of policies.
“One of the smallest budgets in the DICT is really our policy bureau. So think about the laws that you’re creating, how do we monitor that?” she said.
The PNP-WCPC encounters comparable obstacles in probing OSAEC incidents. While confident in their staffing for OSAEC inquiries and actions, they highlight the need for more tools. Without reports, monitoring all OSAEC-related cases is unfeasible.
“[There is] insufficiency of tools which are costly but necessary in conducting further investigations, they are mostly available to foreign law partners,” said Police Colonel Renato Mercado, head of PNP-WCPC Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATIPD).
But aside from going after perpetrators and rescuing victims of OSAEC, ChildFund Philippines believes that there should also be a focus on prevention because this is the most effective way to end OSAEC.
Beyond pursuing perpetrators and rescuing OSAEC victims, ChildFund Philippines reiterated the importance of prevention, viewing it as the most effective strategy to eradicate OSAEC.
“We still have a long way to go because our ultimate goal is getting to zero, where no child falls victim to OSAEC anymore.”
Allan Nuñez, Child Protection and Advocacy Specialist of the group
* This story was produced under the 2023-24 “WebSafeandWise” Media Fellowship by Probe Media Foundation Inc. (PMFI) and ChildFund Philippines and with the support of Oxfam Pilipinas. The views and opinions expressed in this piece are not necessarily those of PMFI, ChildFund Philippines, and Oxfam Pilipinas.