TACLOBAN CITY – Where the internet promises boundless opportunities for education, connection, and entertainment, a dark story lurks in the shadows of online platforms that of livestreaming of online sexual abuse of children.
A recent study launched by Plan International Pilipinas in Tacloban City sheds light on the troubling rise of this crime, which exploits the very technologies designed to bring people closer together.
With a number of respondents coming from Leyte province, and other parts of the country, the study entitled, ‘Safeguarding Young People from the Dark Path of Self-Facilitated Livestreaming of Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse’ comprehensively explore the socio-economic, emotional and technological factors that drive children, primarily girls aged 13 to 15, to engage in such acts.
Based on firsthand accounts, the study shows how children are exposed, groomed, and coerced into sexual exploitation- some in exchange for money, gadgets or rewards (commercial cases), others through manipulation by partners, or strangers (on-commercial cases). In some instances, victims later become recruiters themselves, repeating the cycle of abuse within their circles.
For years, experts have warned that livestreaming platforms could be used for nefarious purposes, but the scale of the issue only became evident following global crackdowns by organizations like INTERPOL and Europol.
The cases of online child exploitation and abuse in Leyte was first reported through a crackdown by the INTERPOL that placed into light the darker version of online use and connectivity.
While authorities have long battled against static child sexual exploitation and abuse material (CSEAM) circulating on the dark web and social media platforms, this new method self-facilitated livestreaming of child sexual exploitation and abuse has made the issue more urgent. Unlike static images and videos, these live streams create an immediate and ongoing risk, with children often forced into real-time abuse as viewers and criminals watch and interact.
Sheila Estabillo, Project Manager of the Safe Online Research Project in the Philippines, said children’s early exposure to explicit content, limited digital literacy, and lack of supervision create a dangerous environment that predators exploit with ease.
“Poverty, lack of guidance, grooming, the need for validation or simply not knowing the risks; these are the real drivers. We must stop blaming children and start confronting the realities that left them exposed and unsupported,” Estabillo said.
The research also highlights how commonly used digital platforms, such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Zoom, Discord and even gaming apps like Mobile Legends and Blockman GO, are being exploited as channels for abuse.
Lead researcher Danella Bianca Bona says that one of the most pressing issues is the speed at which content can be livestreamed and shared, and unlike other online forms of abuse, livestreamed events offer very little time for detection or intervention.
While the challenges are immense, non-government organizations such as Plan agrees that the fight against livestreamed child sexual abuse can be won—if the global community, from tech giants to governments, work together to prioritize the protection of children.
The study calls for urgent action to improve laws and programs that protect children. It recommends stronger enforcement of child protection laws at the local level, better support services for survivors, regular training for frontline workers social workers, police, and barangay officials) on how to spot, respond to, and report online abuse, and more efforts to raise public awareness and digital literacy.
It also urges private companies to make online platforms safer by investing in real-time monitoring of child sexual abuse materials, stronger reporting tools, and closer collaboration with child protections’ groups.
Presently, the country has Republic Act No. 11930 which institutionalized collaborative approach to prevention and response against online sexual abuse and exploitation of children. It strengthens the protection measures to match the technological and digital advancements since the passage of the Anti-Child Pornography Act in 2009. It provides a clear definition of OSAEC which includes the combined use of offline and online means to abuse and exploit children sexually.
(AHLETTE C.REYS, PIA-8)
