Trigger Warning: Contains mentions of sexual abuse, sextortion, child trafficking. Please read at your own discretion.
Written by: Ysa Cano, Sabrina Basilio, Jason Paz (Fil. Translation)
Graphic Design by: Liezel Go
One of the lesser reported effects of the Covid-19 pandemic is the alarming spike of Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) cases in the Philippines. According to Save the Children Philippines, tips on local OSAEC activity “increased by 264.6 percent or 202,605 more reports during the enhanced community quarantine from March to May 2020. " Since stay-at-home orders, online classes, and economic regression, the risk of Filipino children being sexually exploited in the cyber space has become a shadow crisis that needs to be addressed urgently.
Social networking sites have made it easier for offenders to produce, access, and share child sexual abuse materials, which is what made the Philippines the global hotspot for OSAEC. Each year, about 7 million Filipino children are groomed, bribed, and forced to engage in online sexual activities for profit. As technology advances, new forms of OSAEC like luring and sextortion emerge, and so do the number of offenders resorting to child abuse because of economic vulnerabilties.
The prime targets for OSAEC activity are areas like slums, where families grapple daily with sustaining their basic needs and are therefore most vulnerable to criminal alternatives. Additionally, the lack of access to education and psychosocial intervention has allowed perpetrators to continue justifying commercial child pornography with the claim that “no touching means no abuse.”
Dangerous claims like this are what prevents victims from coming forward and seeking help because they do not understand what qualifies as sexual abuse or not.
How bad is it locally?
Unfortunately, there are plenty more factors that contribute to the difficulty for victims of OSAEC to come forward and seek justice:
The law still requires evidence that consent was absent, revoked, or forced before considering sexual relations with minors between 12 and 17 as rape.
The stigma around sex education has resulted in younger victims being left unaware of personal sexual boundaries. Two out of three children do not report crimes because they do not realize until later on that they were raped. More often than not, they experience assault in the hands of people they know and trust.
Filipinos still suffer from a culture of victim-blaming and silence on topics of sexual abuse. Victims are taught to remain silent and suffer alone in order to protect the names of their family, friends, or schools.
What can be done?
(1) READ UP on the laws that protect our minors.
Safe Spaces Act
Anti-Child Pornography Act
Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012
Anti-Child Abuse Law
(2) DEMAND from the government better enforcement of these laws. Out of thousands of reports in 2018, only 27 were convicted.
Funding for proper investigation and apprehension of OSAEC enablers
Drafting of an updated and comprehensive anti-OSAEC law
(3) REPORT any suspected case of OSAEC activity in your area, or any instance of bias, judgment, or lack of urgency from the first responders
DOJ Cybercrime Division
PNP Women & Children Protection Center - Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division
NBI - Anti-Human Trafficking Division
Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking
Alternatively, you can approach bit.ly/SulongReportForm or e-report to Commission of Human Rights through: (02) 8294-8704 | +63 936 068 0982 | +63 920 506 1194
(4) EDUCATE people around you about what happens to our children. By leaving no issue undiscussed and ignored, you raise awareness for the advocacies that rescue victims and offer them psychosocial support.
Isa sa mga di gaanong nauulat na epekto ng Covid-19 pandemic ang pagtaas ng mga kaso ng Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) sa Pilipinas. Ayon sa Save the Children Philippines, tumaas ng 264.6 % ang mga lokal na report tungkol sa OSAEC. Ibig sabihin, 202,605 na kaso ang itinaas mula nung huling taon sa tinagal lang ng Enhanced Community Quarantine o Marso hanggang Mayo 2020. Dahil sa stay-at-home orders, online classes, at pagbagsak ng ekonomiya, ang panganib na masangkot ang mga batang Pilipino sa online na sekswal na pang-aabuso ay naging isang tagong krisis na kailangan nating tugunan.
Napapadali ng social networking sites ang paggawa, pag-access, at pagkalat ng mga materyal na naglalaman ng sekswal na pang-aabuso sa mga bata, kaya naman naging “global hotspot” ang Pilipinas ng Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC.) Taon-taon, humigit-kumulang 7 milyong mga batang Pilipino ang kinukundisyon, sinusuhulan, at pinipilit na makisali sa mga online na aktibidad na sekswal para kumita. Habang umuusbong ang teknolohiya, lumilitaw ang mga bagong porma ng OSAEC tulad ng luring at sextorition, at dumarami ang mga naghahanap ng mataas na kita dito.
Pangunahing target ng OSAEC activity ang mga lugar tulad ng estero, kung saan hirap ang mga pamilyang makahanap ng pang-araw-araw na pangangailangan at madali silang matukso sa mga kriminal na alternatibo. Dahil rin sa kakulangan sa edukasyon at siko-sosyal na tulong, mas madali para sa mga salarin na pangatwiranan ang commercial child pornography sa pagsabing, “walang pang-aabuso kung walang hinahawakan.”
Dahil sa mga ganitong delikadong paniniwala, mas napipigilan ang mga biktimang humingi ng tulong dahil hindi nila nauunawaan kung ano ang sekswal na pang-aabuso sa hindi.
Gaano ito kalala sa Pilipinas?
Maraming mga dahilan na nagpapahirap sa mga biktima ng OSAEC na humingi ng tulong at hustisya:
Sa ngayon, humihingi pa ang batas ng ebidensyang sapilitan ang pakikipagtalik sa mga menor de edad sa pagitan ng edad 12 at 17 bago ito matawag na panggagahasa.
Dahil sa stigma sa edukasyong sekswal, naiiwan ang mga bata at menor de edad na walang malay sa usaping personal sexual boundaries. Dalawa sa tatlong mga bata ang hindi nagre-report ng krimen dahil hindi nila namamalayang sila ay ginahasa. Kadalasan pa, nararanasan nila ang ganitong karahasan sa kamay ng mga taong pinagkakatiwalaan nila.
Kalaban ng mga Pilipino ang kultura ng victim-blaming at katahimikan tungkol sa mga paksa ng pang-aabusong sekswal. Tinuturuan ang mga biktimang manahimik ang magdusa mag-isa upang maprotektahan ang pangalan ng kanilang pamilya, kaibigan, or paaralan.
Ano'ng kailangan nating gawin?
(1) MAGBASA tungkol sa mga karapatan ng mga bata at menor de edad
Safe Spaces Act
Anti-Child Pornography Act
Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012
Anti-Child Abuse Law
(2) MANINGIL sa gobyerno ng maayos na pagpapatupad ng mga batas na ito. Sa libo-libong kaso noong 2018, 27 lamang ang nahatulan.
Funding for proper investigation and apprehension of OSAEC enablers
Drafting of an updated and comprehensive anti-OSAEC law
(3) MAG-REPORT agad kung may pinaghihinalaang OSAEC na kalakalan sa iyong lugar., o kung may first responders na mabagal ang pag-proseso ng mga kaso, may kinikilingan o may panghuhusga sa trabaho.
DOJ Cybercrime Division
PNP Women & Children Protection Center - Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division
NBI - Anti-Human Trafficking Division
Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking
Maaaring humingi ng alternatibong tulong sa bit.ly/SulongReportForm o mag e-Report sa Komisyon ng Karapatang Pangtao: (02) 8294-8704 | +63 936 068 0982 | +63 920 506 1194
(4) IMULAT ang mga tao sa paligid tungkol sa mga nangyayari sa mga bata, siguraduhing walang isyung hindi napag-uusapan, at suportahan ang mga adbokasiya na nagliligtas sa mga bata at nag-aalok ng sikolohikal na suporta sa kanila.
References / Sanggunian
Online sexual abuse of CHILDREN rising amid COVID-19 Pandemic - save the Children Philippines. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.savethechildren.org.ph/our-work/our-stories/story/online-sexual-abuse-of-children-rising-amid-covid-19-pandemic/
November 2016. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.thesummitexpress.com/2016/11/
Servallos, N. (2020, February 16). Laws fail to protect kids from online sexual exploitation. Retrieved from https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/02/17/1993729/laws-fail-protect-kids-online-sexual-exploitation
INQUIRER.net. (2020, April 22). Online sexual harassment on the rise, says CHR. Retrieved from https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1262739/fwd-chr-make-internet-a-safer-place-for-women-as-online-sexual-harassment-rise
What is online child sexual exploitation? (2019, November 26). Retrieved from https://www.ecpat.org/what-we-do/online-child-sexual-exploitation/
IJM. Philippines: International Justice Mission. Retrieved from https://www.ijm.org/philippines
Unicef. (2016, June 3). Safe from harm: Tackling webcam child sexual abuse in the Philippines. Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/protection/philippines_91214.html.
Rappler. (2020, February 11). FAST FACTS: Why online sexual exploitation of children happens in the Philippines. Retrieved from https://rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/things-to-know-online-sexual-exploitation-children-philippines