Prevalence of online sexual abuse in Philippines more than tripled –study

A recent study revealed that the estimated prevalence rate of internet-based child sexual exploitation in the Philippines more than tripled within three years.

Led by NGO International Justice Mission (IJM), the study also confirms that the country has become a global hotspot of online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC).

It shows that the estimated number of IP addresses in the Philippines used for child sexual exploitation (CSE) each year rose to 81,723 in 2017 from around 23,333 in 2014.

This meant growth in the prevalence rate with 149 out of every 10,000 IP addresses being used for CSE in 2017 from 43 out of every 10,000 IP addresses in 2014.

The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of OSEC by examining reports received by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) from the public and electronic service providers, called CyberTipline reports.

However, it found that it was not possible to classify the type of activity in the vast majority of reports, and that none of the CyberTipline reports reviewed involved the sharing of livestreamed abuse.

The IJM study indicated that because livestreaming of child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) is not currently detected by electronic service providers (ESPs), these cases remain unreported to NCMEC and to law enforcement agencies.

Meanwhile, Philippine law enforcement agencies identified 381 victims in 90 OSEC cases investigated between 2011 and 2017. Of the 217 victims where the relationship to the trafficker was known, the abuse was perpetrated by biological parents (41%) and other relatives (42%).

North America

The study also revealed that North America had the highest number of “online enticement of children” with 3,225 cases. Europe followed with 1,659 cases, Asia-Pacific with 819 cases, Latin America with 401 cases and Middle East with 37 cases.

One of the recommendations of the study was for the technology sector to develop new technologies and strategies, including computer vision and machine learning applications of artificial intelligence, to recognize indicators of OSEC offending, and detect newly-produced CSEM in all its forms, particularly in live video streams.

IJM partnered with the US Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP Office) and the Philippine InterAgency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for the study, as well as the Department of Justice (DOJ), Philippine National Police Women and Children Protection Center (PNP WCPC) and the National Bureau of Investigation—Anti-Human Trafficking Division (NBI—AHTRAD).

It also collaborated with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), National Crime Agency (NCA), National Child Exploitation Crime Center (NCECC) of the Sensitive and Specialized Investigative Services (SSIS) Branch, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Nordic Liaison Office for Police and Customs Cooperation (NLO).

Various campaigners had considered the Philippines  as the epicenter of the live-stream sex abuse trade.

The IJM had stated that the incidence of livestreams of child sex abuse has increased as schools are closed and majority of people stay in homes due to the threat of COVID-19. —LBG, GMA News