16 children have been rescued from online sexual abuse and exploitation. Most of them experienced the abuse from their own families and relatives. These children are now safe in our shelter, receiving the counselling and support they need to start rebuilding their lives.
We are thankful for local authorities and our partner organization who tirelessly work to have more children rescued. However, this also goes to show how much impact the COVID-19 pandemic has caused to a lot of Filipino families, pushing most of them to their limits. Unfortunately for some, this meant resorting to illegal and exploitative practices just to survive. In 2020, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) of the Philippines saw alarmingly increasing rates of suspicious transaction reports (STR) related to or suspected to be related to child pornography and online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC). Just for the first half of the year, STRs related to child pornography amounted to PHP 113.1 million (USD 2.3 million).
Aside from internet access and the level of proficiency of many Filipinos in the English language, the ease of access to money transferring services such as remittance centers and electronic wallets also contributed to the increase of online sexual exploitation cases. Most of the time, the primary perpetrators of OSAEC are the biological parents (41%), immediate family members or relatives (42%), or adults acquainted with the child or living in the same community as the child.
As horrific as this sounds, it only reiterates the importance of our work in the Philippines, especially in areas considered to be at high-risk for exploitation and human trafficking.
Sources: The Philippine Star and The ASEAN Post
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Our Partners
One of our projects in the Philippines is the Blessed House project wherein we rescue and journey with women and children who have been victims of human trafficking and cybersex crimes. As we close this project this year, we are transitioning these girls to a life of hope and restoration.
One...
42 SHARES
After the court’s decision on the OSEC case of Rachel, May and Kat (names changed for their privacy), our field partner in the Philippines, HONOR 1000, immediately worked on the final procedures of their reintegration from the Blessed House to the community.
We made sure to coordinate with local...
8 SHARES
We just received reports that after Rachel, May, Kat (names changed for privacy) testified against their mother in court, the judge convicted the accused guilty of trafficking her own children. This is such a roller coaster of emotions for our Blessed trainees: the anticipation, the relief that finally their legal case is moving forward, the nervousness,...
30 SHARES
One of our reintegrated young women from the Blessed House in the Philippines, has won her case against her perpetrator! The judge convicted the accused guilty of trafficking and child pornography. He will be imprisoned for 15 years, as well as required to pay for moral damages to her. When Ria (name changed for privacy) was reintegrated, she received threats and...
33 SHARES
One of the many ways we help Blessed Project Trainees in their reintegration is through family therapy. With the assistance of our social worker, we let the children and parents talk about their issues in the family that might have contributed to the children’s victimization.
<...60 SHARES
When a young woman is rescued from human trafficking, the road to recovery is a long and challenging one for many – emotionally scared and broken from un-imaginable abuse. This is where the “Blessed” program steps in to fill a...
9 SHARES
