In a horrifying cycle of abuse, children in the Philippines are being forced to put on a sexually explicit ‘show’ for foreigners by trusted loved ones – including their own mothers – who were also coerced into doing the same as child.
‘I saw the potential to earn money in the most convenient way. All I could think of was to help the family,’ one woman explains from a prison cell in the Phillipines.
From the age of 10, she’d been made to take part in grainy, heinous livestreamed videos. Once an adult, she then recruited children into the same online sex work she had been a victim of.
Eventually, the woman was caught and handed a prison sentence at the Correctional Institution for Women in the city of Mandaluyong.
Hers is a story that is shockingly far more common than realised as, according to the charity Justice and Care, online sexual abuse of children has reached ‘epidemic levels’ in the Philippines.
Across the country, girls and boys are being ushered into dark rooms and pressured to ‘perform’ in a livestream. On the other side of the video call waits a foreigner ready to encourage the child into carry out horrific sex acts. If the victims comply, those who have provided the children are paid anywhere between £7 and £350 for one ‘show.’.
In cases like these, there are two criminals at play; the perpetrator – who is directing the abuse from countries including the UK, Australia or the USA – and the facilitator – sometimes also a former child abuse victim – who physically brings the youngster to the camera in the Philippines.
‘These are people who have the trust of the children they are victimising,’ Nicole Munns tells Metro. She’s director of international systemic change at Justice and Care, a charity which helps victims of modern slavery and human trafficking.
‘Facilitators can be the children’s mothers, aunts, or trusted friends, while the abused children can be as young as two. Some argue there’s an increasing trend towards demand for younger children, with a growing prevalence of under 10s [exposed to sexual abuse].
‘These children are dependent on their parents and fear compromising family relationships, especially if a mother or aunt could be jailed. There is a strong cultural norm of respect and obedience for adults in the Philippines, which makes it even harder for children to seek help.’
Nicole is speaking to Metro following the publication of a report from Justice and Care which highlighted how Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) in the Philippines has reached unprecedented levels.
Half a million victims
“As many as 500,000 Filipino children – or one in every 100 – are being sexually abused via live video streams, making it far harder to trace, according to research from International Justice Mission (IJM), who also supported Justice and Care’s new report.
‘The abuse we’re referring to is real time,’ Nicole explains. ‘These aren’t videos downloaded or shared, but live-streamed from the Philippines. The children are forced to perform sex acts on each other, on themselves, or they are abused by an adult. There’s often a grooming process and a gradual severity, to the point where this live-streaming can include an element of violence.
‘Meanwhile, a foreign perpetrator is typically both watching and engaging as they direct or instruct the abuse for payment. This isn’t passive, the perpetrator is actively creating the abuse.’
The perpetrator and facilitator typically meet on social media. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and gaming site Roblox have previously been identified by researchers. There is also evidence that dating sites – like Filipino Cupid, Cherry Blossoms, Asian Dating and Cybora – have also been used by criminals seeking child abuse. Pictures of young girls, perhaps sitting on a bed or alone in another capacity, also can spur the connection on some sites.
'I can't stop thinking about the past'
Solenn*, from Luzon in the Philippines, is still working to come to terms with the abuse she faced before she was brought to safety by International Justice Mission (IJM) and Philippines authorities. She was eight-years-old when she became a victim of online sexual exploitation.
Solenn, speaking through the IJM, tells Metro: ‘More and more, I wanted this to stop happening to me and inside our family. But I was too afraid and ashamed to tell anyone about what was happening in our home. I was afraid that no one would believe me.
‘But one day in November 2015, it happened – my friends and I were rescued [by Philippines authorities supported by International Justice Mission]. My mother and other family members were arrested.
‘We were taken to a temporary shelter while our case was ongoing. It was a big nightmare for me. I felt like my life was miserable. I couldn’t sleep with my thoughts.
‘I am thankful for the friends and social workers who were ready to help me to get up again. Today I am a member of the Philippine Survivor Network and I know that we only have one desire – and that is to end this crime. I want every evil person who commits abuses to stop abusing children. I want it to stop. I want every child to have freedom and get to live a normal life.’
At the Correctional Institution for Women, some jailed facilitators explained to researchers how they had been victims of online sexual abuse themselves. They spoke of complicated family backgrounds and financial pressures which led to them becoming embroiled in the online sex industry.
One woman said that her area was ‘well known’ for online sexual abuse work, while another added that the venture felt like ‘easy money.’
Nicole adds: ‘There was also a particular fallacy we uncovered in speaking to these women. Many felt there was a “no touch, no harm” element to what was happening. Essentially, the feeling that “the foreign perpetrator isn’t physically touching my child, so it’s okay.”
Additionally, chat logs analysed by researchers showed repeated requests for ‘help’ from facilitators in the Philippines, such as asking for money to purchase food, fix a roof at their home, or to support the school activities of a sibling. Such requests led to sexual ‘performances’ and payments being exchanged.
The role of technology
Technological advancements have made it easier than ever for foreign perpetrators to access illegal content or navigate the dark web to hide their activity. As abuse from the Philippines is often live-streamed, there’s no lasting footage or images which can be used as evidence to convict both perpetrators and facilitators.
The Justice and Care report states: ‘Rapid growth in high-speed internet connectivity and technological innovation has brought children around the world increased opportunities for educational and social development. However, it has also made children more vulnerable to sexual abuse and exploitation than before.
‘Increased availability of mobile devices and access to online payment mechanisms have given adults with a sexual interest in children access to victims in countries where protections to counter this threat have not kept pace with these developments.’
One law enforcement officer in the Philippines told researchers: ‘The Philippines is the number one producer of online child exploitation materials. They [facilitators] just need a mobile phone and an internet connection and they can basically send these materials abroad.
‘As law enforcement, there are rules of law that we should follow, but
these bad guys bend the law and the rules. That’s why they [facilitators in the Philippines] are always one step ahead of us.’
However, by the same token, police and charities can use new technology to their advantage. Experts look out for ‘red flags’, such as a stream of small payments being sent to the Philippines. They can identify patterns from the timing or nature of the exchanges and take action.
In 2019, former British Army officer Andrew Whiddett admitted live-streaming sick images of children being abused in the Philippines after 49 illegal payments were noticed, and investigated, by the National Crime Agency (NCA). The NCA then handed the information over to Filipino officials, which led to one further arrest and six children aged three to 14 being protected.
What needs to change
Justice and Care hope authorities across the world, not just the Philippines, take urgent action to create a ‘strengthened’ global response to protect children, and have made four recommendations in their report.
It is also hoped that increased sentencing could send out a clear message to the thousands of people who actively engage with online sexual abuse. For example, facilitators in the Philippines get lengthy prison sentences – approximately 15 years – if they are caught. Yet for those caught watching the abuse in Western countries, some walk free from court and avoid jail entirely.
Justice and Care, and similar organisations, hope stronger sentencing of western perpetrators and more targeted regulation of online platforms and products implicated in these activities can help quell the criminality not just in the Philippines, but across the world.
Nicole adds: ‘While the hotspot for online sexual abuse of children is in the Philippines, this is a problem that’s driven by demand in countries such as the UK, Australia, the US.
‘In our research we’ve found that there are heavy penalties being handed down to facilitators in the Philippines, but these sit in really stark contrast to those being handed down on the demand side in western countries.
‘Stronger legislation and stronger enforcement is needed to detect and deter demand for these activities.
‘We need swifter and more targeted action to tackle this and ultimately save children from future harm.’
Justice and Care partnered with Dublin City University, De La Salle University, Manila and the International Justice Mission (IJM) for the report.
*Name has been changed
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