Captivating Philippines

The Philippines has become a global hotspot of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC). Findings from a 2020 study by the International Justice Mission revealed that the estimated number of IP addresses in the Philippines used for child sexual exploitation rose from 23,333 in 2014 to 81,723 in 2017. The reality of this crime is much more sinister than it looks because the facilitator/traffickers of these children are sometimes a relative or a close family member. The Inter-agency Council Against Human Trafficking (2023) revealed that of 285 victims, 41% of the facilitators were biological parents, and 42% were relatives.

In a 2022 PSA report, 1 in every 5 children and young Filipino adults aged 5 to 24 years was out of school. Some of the most common reasons why they chose to stop attending school are (1) employment or looking for work to help their family, (2) early marriage or focus on family matters, and (3) high cost of education or financial concern.

According to the most recent Philippine Statistics Authority (2021) report, 18% of the population was living below the poverty threshold of about USD 44 per month. This translates to around 20 million Filipinos earning less than USD 1.43 per day, which is insufficient to meet their basic food and non-food needs. Sanghaya Foundation, our local program partner, conducted a survey of 67 families in one of the slum communities in the richest city in the Philippines. The survey revealed that more than half of the families live on a daily income of less than USD 1.83, while the rest live on daily incomes ranging from USD 1.83 to USD 5.50.

The growing accessibility of the internet and a lack of awareness about online dangers have led to a surge in online exploitation and cybersex trafficking. Many perpetrators take advantage of the country's high internet penetration and insufficient online regulations to commit these crimes.