In January 2023, the World Economic Forum (WEF) released its Global Principles on Digital Safety, a white paper that answers the question: “How should human rights translate in the digital world?” 


In January 2023, the World Economic Forum (WEF) released its Global Principles on Digital Safety, a white paper that answers the question: “How should human rights translate in the digital world?” 


Global Principles on Digital Safety

“Safety challenges related to harmful content and conduct can be amplified and complicated in the digital world, where long-standing problems, including child sexual exploitation and abuse...pose a growing challenge,” WEF says.

“Improving online safety is a whole-of-society challenge and real change requires strong multistakeholder collaboration at a high-level.” The paper was developed by the WEF’s Global Coalition for Digital Safety, a group that “engages global leaders to advance user safety online.” The group includes representatives from WeProtect Global Alliance, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, Google, UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and International Justice Mission through John Tanagho, our Executive Director for IJM’s Center to End Online Sexual Exploitation.




“Improving online safety is a whole-of-society challenge and real change requires strong multistakeholder collaboration at a high-level.”





John provided written expert consultation to the draft Global Principles for Digital Safety and, following his recommendation, the Coalition requested Filipino survivor leader consultation on the Global Principles.

“The expertise and input of survivors of child sexual abuse online form a critical part of the solution,” says John. “Listening to survivor experiences and voices helps us evaluate our own approaches and ensure that multiple dimensions of the problem and solution are explored.”

Survivor leaders known by their pseudonyms Liberty, Ruby, and Joy, drew from personal experience and provided recommendations to strengthen the guidelines for digital safety.

Their recommendations include:

Flag or eliminate sensitive materials (CSEM, harmful speech)
Review sexual content and prevent children from accessing them
Ensure users’ privacy rights will not be compromised
Verify accounts and identity, as perpetrators typically use different account names
Ensure the safety of both survivors and at-risk children
Make reporting mechanisms accessible so children can easily report harassment
Add guidelines for the automatic detection of abusive/violent language
Ensure that the language used is gender-sensitive
Balance freedom of expression and digital safety

“It is extremely satisfying for me to see Filipino survivors of online sexual exploitation courageously speaking up and taking a stand as a strong force against this crime,” John Tanagho says.  “For governments, NGOs, and tech companies to truly protect children from online harms, we have to listen to those with lived experience of those harms; both their courage and insights have much to teach us.”



Urgent action is needed

“More than 5 billion people use the internet worldwide,” the January 2023 paper reports. And with today’s digital safety challenges, “[u]rgent action is needed to minimize the potential harm to all people, with an emphasis on society’s most vulnerable groups, including children.”






Urgent action is needed to minimize the potential harm to all people, with an emphasis on society’s most vulnerable groups, including children.





The white paper outlines principles for governments, including embracing human rights-based approaches to digital safety by:

Supporting appropriate and effective legal processes that enable the investigation of, and a justice system response to, illegal content or conduct online” and
“Supporting victims and survivors of abuse or harm, including facilitating access to justice and resources tailored to the needs of vulnerable groups...and ensure their perspectives and needs inform policy-making.”

Guidance for online service providers includes [i]nvesting in and embedding a multidisciplinary approach to safety by design throughout the business life cycle of products and services,…”


The white paper encourages supporters of the principles to:

Raise awareness of these principles across the online ecosystem, including through active promotion, targeted outreach and the encouragement of multistakeholder adoption.
Share best practices in developing inclusive processes to facilitate multistakeholder input, including on designing processes to seek perspectives from children and victims or survivors of online abuse.

Sources:

https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Global_Charter_of_Principles_for_Digital_Safety_2023.pdf

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/01/davos23-global-principles-digital-safety-content/

IJM and Philippine Survivors Contribute to World Economic Forum’s Global Principles on Digital Safety

Five local government units have courageously stood up to protect children against online sexual abuse and exploitation.

Five trailblazing local government units have emerged as champions in the fight against online sexual abuse and exploitation of children in the Philippines, laying the legal foundations for authorities in their districts to launch a ground-up response to one of the world’s most heinous and hidden crimes.

Capitalizing on tough new national laws enacted in July 2022, legislators in San Fernando City, Himamaylan City, Angeles City, Butuan City, and 3rd District of Laguna have handed down blueprints to fight online child abuse from the local level, where awareness of and resources to combat newly emerging crimes is lacking.

“We are glad to note that we have the framework to prevent this crime from happening, and also to ensure that the victims, should there be any, are well taken care of,” said vice mayor Justin Silos Gatuslao, pioneer of the blueprint for Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental.

The latest move comes amid a wave of official support for child protection and prosecution of offenders in the Philippines, the global hotspot for online sexual exploitation of children, or OSEC - where foreign online offenders pay to watch and direct the sexual abuse of children via livestream.




Legislation is the key to child protection.





“Legislation is the key to child protection,” said Atty. Nelisa Guevara-Garcia, Director of National Prosecution Development at IJM Philippines, which helped to establish the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Center, where it has worked alongside local, British, and Australian police since 2019.

“The mushroom effect that this will have on the fight against child abusers cannot be overstated. The local legislators who took this swift action should be commended – and thankfully there is more to come,” she added.

At least 10 more cities across the Philippines are drafting ordinances – laws that are specific to a particular sub-national jurisdiction – that will kickstart the creation of new infrastructure to support law enforcement and child protection efforts.


These frameworks include the establishment of local councils to combat online sexual abuse of children and training of law enforcement officials, social workers and community leaders in detecting and suppressing online child abuse, including trauma-informed care techniques for frontline responders.

“The biggest challenge we are facing with this crime is that it goes unreported,” said local councillor Jaycee Parker-Aguas, who drafted the ordinance for Angeles City, where, schools, hotels, motels, internet cafes, photo developers, computer repairers, banks and money remitters are being prepared for a “city-wide crusade” against OSEC.

“We focus more on prevention, raising awareness in our communities about the red flags, so that we don’t have cases, and so we don’t have children that we have to save.”

Earlier this year, IJM published the VIDI (Video In-Depth Disclosure Interview) guidebook, on how to sensitively conduct and record a victim statement that is all-encompassing and admissible in court, shielding victims from rounds of interviews and the risk of re-traumatisation.





The new ordinances will allow for police and social workers in those jurisdictions to receive the best advice on how to protect children during rescues, investigations, prosecutions and in aftercare.





“At all times, the victim must be protected,” said Guevara-Garcia of IJM. “The new ordinances will allow for police and social workers in those jurisdictions to receive the best advice on how to protect children during rescues, investigations, prosecutions and in aftercare,” Guevara-Garcia added.

The latest expansion of the Philippines’ framework to counter online child sexual abuse coincides with an international awakening to the crime, which emerged over the past decade and was fueled by lockdowns during the covid pandemic.

In the UK, deliberations are ongoing over a draft Online Safety Bill aimed at addressing the scourge. In November, a British court handed down a 25-year sentence to a man who had paid to watch the abuse of Filipino children as young as two years old.

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has been campaigning for tech giants to take responsibility for crimes organized and paid for on their platforms. In August, the Philippines government declared ‘war’ on online child sexual abuse.

“There is a groundswell of support for this fight, but we must continue to spread deterrence of this crime. We now have the methodology to measure the prevalence of online sexual exploitation of children that previously was not available,” said Atty. Samson Inocencio, Jr., National Director and Regional Vice President of IJM Program Against Online Sexual Exploitation of Children.

“This was made possible through a remarkable group of advisers from the Philippine government and global stakeholders, including the world-leading research team from Nottingham Rights Lab,” he added.

IJM has worked against online child sex abuse and exploitation in the Philippines since 2016, assisting in the rescue of more than 1,000 children and the conviction of more than 150 traffickers.

IJM commends local governments for taking the lead to protect children and encourages more local legislators to draft ordinances to help end the online sexual exploitation of children.



Local Legislators Step Up Fight Against Online Child Sex Abuse

Tech and financial companies must build safe-by-products.

Tech and financial companies can build platforms and products safe by design to prevent child sexual abuse online, International Justice Mission’s (IJM) John Tanagho said.



Child protection NGOs and law enforcement are working hard to protect children online but video-chat platforms and all money transfer companies have a unique role to prevent, detect and report harm at the earliest stage, said Tanagho, Execution Director of IJM’s Center to End Online Sexual Exploitation of Children.



Speaking at the Singapore FinTech Festival on November 2 and 3, Tanagho, whose experience in the field dates back before the emergence of online child abuse, laid out a three-point action plan for online payment and tech companies to minimise opportunities for offenders to misuse their platforms to abuse children.



“Livestreamed child sexual abuse didn’t exist before the digital age, and it flourishes in the shadows--undetected, unreported, unmitigated,” Tanagho said to a crowd during his main stage speech at the 7th edition of the world’s largest Fintech festival.





The crime, in which mostly Western offenders pay to watch or direct sexual abuse of trafficked children, flourishes where law enforcement is lax or under-resourced. The crime increased to during the Covid pandemic.



Platforms that inadvertently facilitate online child abuse can use data, expert consultation and indicators to make them “safe by design,” Tanagho said.



Secondly, money transfer companies can engage in robust financial transaction monitoring and treat child exploitation payments like terrorist financing or fraud, not anti-money laundering, reducing reporting time from 50-100 days to five.



“Report the maximum amount of information, not the minimum required … and provide meaningful suspicious transaction reports that law enforcement can use,” Tanagho urged.



Tanagho rounded out the three-point plan by appealing for electronic service providers and online payment firms to join those that partner with IJM, which has partnered with Philippine law enforce in the rescue of more than 1,000 victims, the arrest of more than 300 suspects and conviction of more than 150 traffickers.



“You’ll help protect children from harm, hold offenders accountable, give survivors what they need to heal, thrive and lead,” he said.



The Philippines is a global hotspot for livestreamed child abuse. IJM helped to establish the Philippines Internet Crimes Against Children Center (PICACC), which partners local law enforcement with federal police from Australia and the UK (United Kingdom), two of the main demand countries.



Despite hundreds of arrests of traffickers in the Philippines, remote sex offenders in their home countries remain out of reach of PICACC.



“They do not think they will get caught. They do not think the platform they are using will detect them, and they do not think law enforcement will either,” Tanagho said.



“Please join the fight. We have specific opportunities for FinTech to be part of the solution to child sexual abuse online right now.”

Build for Safety: IJM Calls for FinTech firms to Flip the Script on Online Predators

A new immersive virtual and augmented reality experience that takes users inside the world of people experiencing sex-trafficking reached more than 1.2 million viewers in 24 hours since going live, International Justice Mission (IJM)’s Program Against Online Sexual Exploitation of Children is proud to announce.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – A new immersive virtual and augmented reality experience that takes users inside the world of people experiencing sex-trafficking reached more than 1.2 million viewers in 24 hours since going live, International Justice Mission (IJM)’s Program Against Online Sexual Exploitation of Children is proud to announce.



‘Break Free to Fly’ – pioneered by social media giant Meta in partnership with IJM and international non-profits AIM, ECPAT International, and A21 – uses Meta’s state-of-the-art AR and VR technology and global reach to shed light on the dark world of sex trafficking, which ensnares an estimated 4.8 million people.



“We couldn’t have imagined such a vast uptake on this ground-breaking and game-changing campaign,” said Evelyn Pingul, Director of Brand, Media, and Communications, IJM Program Against Online Sexual Exploitation of Children.



“Sex trafficking, specifically the trafficking of children to create sexual abuse materials, can be a difficult topic to broach for new audiences - and so we applaud Meta for stepping in and using its resources to shed light on one of darkest corners of humanity.”



IJM helps lead a global fight against the online sexual exploitation of children, one of the world’s fastest growing and least understood crimes, in which children are forced to perform explicit sex acts for predators who pay to watch or direct the shows from all over the world.



With this new campaign, Meta harnesses its technology including AR filters, 360 video, and Horizon Worlds to educate Facebook and Instagram users by transporting them into an experience where they can hear the stories of trafficking victims to understand the intricacies of this heinous crime.



“Break Free to Fly is truly a compelling, immersive experience. We applaud Meta’s zealous efforts into this global campaign. Indeed, it takes a global response to combat this global crime,” said John Tanagho, Executive Director, IJM’s Center to End Sexual Exploitation of Children.



There are no reliable estimates yet on how many children are trapped in online sex trafficking dens. However, building on a 2020 study, IJM is developing a method to establish the prevalence of online sexual exploitation of children through the Scale of Harm project.



“Having an accurate estimate of this crime’s prevalence is key to designing, implementing and evaluating child protection interventions,” Mr. Tanagho said.



Since IJM began to focus on the emerging crime in 2016, over 1,000 children have been rescued from online sexual exploitation in the Philippines, which is the global hotspot for online sexual exploitation of children.



IJM, along with our partners, are a founding member of the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Center, which was set up in 2019, bringing together Philippine law enforcement agencies with Australian Federal Police, the United Kingdom National Crime Agency, and the National Police of the Netherlands. These countries house some of the most prolific sexually motivated offenders around the globe.



After running the campaign for 4 weeks, ads have reached nearly 10 million Facebook and Instagram users, generating a total of 27 million views or impressions. IJM strives in continuing its advocacy to protect more children from online sexual exploitation.



Meta Campaign In Collaboration With IJM Reaches Ten Million

Welcoming the legislative strides of the U.S. Senate in combatting online sexual exploitation of children 

IJM welcomes the reintroduction and committee passage of the EARN IT (Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies) Act in the United States. This bipartisan bill aims to combat the online sexual exploitation of children. 

## The EARN IT Act (S. 1207):
* clarifies legal violations related to online sexual exploitation of children are not to be afforded protection under the law, 
* provide additional recourse and tools for survivors, and 
* updates the statutory term for images and video created through online exploitation from “child pornography” to “child sex abuse material” (CSAM), which more accurately reflects the traumatic nature of this crime

## A significant step towards child protection:
As an organization that has been fighting against human rights abuses for more than 25 years, IJM has long advocated for stronger laws and policies to protect children from violence. IJM believes that this legislation is a significant step toward protecting children online. 

In the Philippines, IJM with the Philippine Government and foreign law enforcement have supported the safeguarding of over 1,100 children victimized by, or at serious risk of, trafficking into online sexual exploitation. 

In most cases, local traffickers broadcast—through live streaming video or the production of new child sexual exploitation materials— the sexual abuse and exploitation of victims to foreign sex offenders. In IJM’s study conducted with the Philippine Government under the U.S. - Philippines Child Protection Compact (CPC) Partnership, 51% of victims identified were 12 years old or younger at the time of law enforcement intervention.

> Technology has revolutionized our world, and it has also created new opportunities for criminals to exploit vulnerable children,

Nate King, Director of Congressional Affairs at IJM, said:

> The EARN IT Act will ensure that technology companies are doing everything in their power to prevent child sexual exploitation on their platforms. We commend the Senate Judiciary Committee for advancing this legislation and urge Senate leadership to schedule a vote on the bill this year.

The EARN IT Act will also enhance reporting and preservation requirements for technology companies to the CyberTipline, which is operated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). 

According to NCMEC, the CyberTipline receives an average of 80,000 daily reports of online exploitation of children. In 2022, 89.3% of all CyberTipline reports were linked to potential offenders outside the U.S. and referred to law enforcement agencies in more than 140 countries. 

From IJM’s experience in training international law enforcement partners on CyberTipline investigations, it is clear that updates are desperately needed to the existing reporting framework. 

IJM supports the enhanced reporting requirements in the EARN IT Act that will improve consistency, quality, and timeliness in reports of suspected online sexual exploitation of children sent from online service providers to the CyberTipline.

> Online sexual exploitation of children is a global pandemic and we need a global response to combat it,

John Tanagho, Executive Director of IJM’s Center to End Online Sexual Exploitation of Children, said:

> As an international leader, the United States has a responsibility to stand up for child protection at home and abroad. While the EARN IT Act would affect U.S.-based companies, vulnerable children around the world would benefit from the protective measures of this legislation. We applaud the bill's sponsors and co-sponsors and urge Congress to pass this important legislation.

With support from both sides of the aisle, and from a broad coalition of organizations including IJM, the EARN IT Act is on its way to becoming a law. Together, let's protect children in U.S. and globally.


## More about the Bill:
The bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate on April 19, 2023, by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and unanimously passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 4. A version of the EARN IT Act was also introduced in the House of Representatives (H.R. 2732) on April 19 by Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO) and Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (D-TX).

The Senate bill is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), John Kennedy (R-LA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), John Cornyn (R-TX), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Susan Collins (R-ME), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Mark Warner (D-VA), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), and Bob Casey (D-PA).


IJM supports the EARN IT Act of 2023

Survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation launched the Philippine Survivor Network (PSN) today, Feb. 8, 2023, as they stepped up to lead a movement to protect vulnerable people through a robust Philippine justice system.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation launched the Philippine Survivor Network (PSN) today, Feb. 8, 2023, as they stepped up to lead a movement to protect vulnerable people through a robust Philippine justice system.

The PSN provides opportunities for members, who are at least 15 years old, to develop their leadership abilities and to actively participate in decision-making that impacts survivors and future generations. Its members – currently at 81 – are survivors of child sexual abuse, commercial sexual exploitation, and online sexual exploitation of children.

“The PSN aims to contribute to creating safer communities in the Philippines, in which vulnerable people are protected from all types of violence, the survivors are sustainably restored, and the justice system listens and works together with survivors. We are excited to embark on this journey and look forward to collaborating with government and non-government partners to achieve this goal,” said Monica Renomeron, PSN Chairperson.

An initiative of International Justice Mission (IJM), the PSN works to ensure that solutions against online sexual exploitation of children are informed by the real-life experiences of survivors.

>“IJM recognizes that survivors will become catalytic leaders in the movement to protect children. They have unique and powerful experiences and expertise to share, including insight into the nature of exploitation, the factors that allow it to flourish, the perpetrators who profit from it, and the solutions that can stop it,” said Atty. Samson Inocencio Jr., National Director of IJM Philippines and Vice President of IJM's Program Against Online Sexual Exploitation of Children.




“IJM recognizes that survivors will become catalytic leaders in the movement to protect children. They have unique and powerful experiences and expertise to share, including insight into the nature of exploitation, the factors that allow it to flourish, the perpetrators who profit from it, and the solutions that can stop it.”


The PSN is a local chapter of the Global Survivor Network (GSN), an international group of survivors leading a global movement to protect communities around the world from violence. Through the GSN, survivors of violence from around the world are advocating for change in their communities and speaking out as leaders.

In the Philippines, IJM has supported authorities in rescuing more than 1,000 survivors of online child sexual exploitation, with operations dating back to 2011. Before transitioning its program to combating online sexual exploitation of children in 2016, IJM Philippines worked to combat the sex trafficking of children in bars and brothels, leading to dramatic decreases in the crime’s prevalence in the cities where it partnered with local authorities.




For more inquires, contact:
Evelyn Pingul
Director, Brand, Media, and Communications Team
IJM Global Programs Against Online Sexual Exploitation of Children
epingul@ijm.org

ABOUT THE PHILIPPINE SURVIVOR NETWORK
The Philippine Survivor Network (PSN) is an all-inclusive program for survivors of child sexual abuse, commercial sexual exploitation, and online sexual exploitation of children in the Philippines, who desire and pursue safe communities through justice systems that protect the most vulnerable people. A local chapter of the Global Survivor Network (GSN), the PSN facilitates opportunities for leadership development and advocacy involvement of its members at the community and national levels. To learn more about the GSN, visit globalsurvivornetwork.org.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION
International Justice Mission (IJM) is a global organization that protects people in poverty from violence. IJM works with local authorities and governments to rescue and restore survivors, hold perpetrators accountable, and help strengthen public justice systems so they can better protect people from violence. Its 21 years of work in the Philippines led to a dramatic decrease in the prevalence of sex trafficking of children in bars and brothels—reductions ranging from 72%-86% in the cities where it partnered with local authorities. In 2016, IJM fully transitioned its program in the Philippines to combat online sexual exploitation of children, in particular the trafficking of children to create new child sexual abuse materials, including via livestreaming. As of January 20, 2023, IJM has assisted Philippine authorities in 317 operations, leading to the rescue of 1,063 victims and arrest of 329 suspects of online sexual exploitation of children (first case dates to 2011).



Philippine Survivor Network Launched

On December 6, 2022, a Regional Trial Court in Pasig City sentenced a female trafficker to life imprisonment and ordered her to pay a fine of P5 million. 

On December 6, 2022, a Regional Trial Court in Pasig City sentenced a female trafficker to life imprisonment and ordered her to pay a fine of P5 million. She was found guilty of Qualified Trafficking for offering her own daughter for sexual abuse over a live video feed in exchange for money from foreign sex offenders online. The court ordered the convicted trafficker to pay her 8-year-old victim P500,000 as moral damages and P100,000 as exemplary damages.

The outcome of the trial is a victory in child protection and the fight against online sexual exploitation, and the perceived impunity that perpetrators think they can hide behind. Assistant State Prosecutor Karla T. Cabel, MNSA, handling prosecutor for the case, said:

“For me, the judgment for conviction is a win not only for the people but, more importantly, for our child-victims. It reminds them that they are important and are worthy of genuine love. They have a bright future ahead and that is never too late for them to start anew. The law and state are always for them, would adamantly fight for them and their rights.”

International Justice Mission (IJM), a non-government organization supporting the Philippine government against the online sexual exploitation of children, collaborated with public prosecutors in this case.

“To witness the sanctity of a home get destroyed just because a mother chose money over the life of her own child is also very hard and painful for justice advocates like us who represent survivors,” said Atty. Kathleen Joy Piccio-Labay, Head of Manila Prosecution Development at IJM. “For a measly amount of money, a little girl was robbed of the innocence, dignity, inner peace and normal life that she deserved by the very person who was supposed to protect and care for her.”

“We know that she would bear emotional scars for the rest of her life but because justice has been served by a court of law, there is real hope that she would finally be able to move on and recover from the complex trauma she has been enduring all these years. This is the reason why it is always an honor and a great privilege for IJM to work alongside government partners and serve the little children,” Atty. Piccio-Labay continued.

On December 7th, the Regional Trial Court of Taguig City found two defendants guilty of Qualified Trafficking and sentenced them to suffer the penalty of life imprisonment and pay a fine of P2 million each. They were also ordered to pay the victim a total of P400,000 as moral and exemplary damages. Aside from Qualified Trafficking, the defendants were found guilty of grooming and luring a child under Section 4(h) of R.A. no. 9775 and were sentenced to suffer an indeterminate penalty of 9 years, 6 months and 10 days of prision mayor as minimum to 11 years and 2 months of prision mayor as maximum. The minor abused in this case is the biological daughter of one of the traffickers.

Reacting to the court’s decision, handling prosecutor for the case, Taguig Senior Assistant City Prosecutor David Michael Go said:

“We’re elated with the conviction of the principal accused in this case. This is a testament to the fact that no matter how long it takes, we will prosecute these cases to the absolute end to ensure that justice is going to be served. We hope that the victims can finally move on from this ordeal.”

“We applaud the work of our law enforcement agents, social workers and public prosecutors,” said IJM's Atty. Aldrian David, who collaborated with public prosecutors in this case. “As these traffickers are being held accountable, not only is justice served, the Philippines is taking a big step forward in deterring criminals, ending impunity, and protecting children from online sexual exploitation and abuse.”




For more inquires, contact:


Evelyn Pingul

Director, Brand, Media, and Communications 

IJM’s Program Against Online Sexual Exploitation of Children

epingul@ijm.org


About IJM

International Justice Mission is a global organization that protects people in poverty from violence. IJM partners with local authorities in 29 program offices in 17 countries to combat slavery, violence against women and children, and police abuse of power against people who are poor. IJM works with local authorities and governments to rescue and restore survivors, hold perpetrators accountable, and help strengthen public justice systems so they can better protect people from violence.

Our 21 years of work in the Philippines led to a dramatic decrease in the prevalence of sex trafficking of children in bars and brothels—reductions ranging from 72%-86% in the cities where we partnered with local authorities. In 2016, IJM fully transitioned our program in the Philippines to combat online sexual exploitation of children, in particular the trafficking of children to create new child sexual abuse materials, including via livestreaming. We have assisted Philippine authorities in more than 308 operations, leading to the rescue of 1037 victims and arrest of 320 suspects of online sexual exploitation of children (first case dates to 2011).

Learn more: osec.IJM.org.

Three Perpetrators Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Online Sexual Exploitation of Children

The Philippines maintained its Tier 1 ranking in a major anti-trafficking report released by the U.S. State Department on Wednesday, July 20, placing it among the most exemplary nations engaged in the fight against all forms of human trafficking around the globe.

The Philippines maintained its Tier 1 ranking in a major anti-trafficking report released by the U.S. State Department on Wednesday, July 20, placing it among the most exemplary nations engaged in the fight against all forms of human trafficking around the globe.

The annual Trafficking in Person (TIP) report highlighted various solutions initiated by the Philippine government and International Justice Mission (IJM) that helped the country remain a leader for the seventh year running.

The Philippines “continued to demonstrate serious and sustained efforts … considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its anti-trafficking capacity,” the 2022 TIP report says.

Among other efforts, the 600-page report praises the Philippines and the United Kingdom for being at the forefront of developing survivor-informed prevention and protection models, highlighting focus group discussions co-organized or supported by the Philippines’ Inter-Agency Council against Trafficking (IACAT) and IJM to seek input from survivors.

The report also notes advances in the use of financial and digital evidence and the trend towards plea bargaining in court cases, which reduces reliance on survivor testimony and expedites trials, significantly lowering the potential to re-traumatize children.

“We thank the U.S. State Department for acknowledging robust initiatives in the Philippines to combat trafficking in persons, including one of its darkest forms - the online sexual exploitation of children. The country has received the TIP report’s highest ranking for seven years now because of a collective effort between the government and like-minded partners to prevent human trafficking and hold perpetrators accountable. We are steadfast in our shared pursuit to end impunity for trafficking crimes,” said Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) OIC-Executive Director Wendell P. Bendoval.

Police Brigadier General Edgar DM Cacayan, Chief of Philippine National Police – Women and Children Protection Center, also welcomed the report. He said: “Another milestone and achievement have been achieved as we maintained Tier 1 status on the U.S. State Department’s Global Trafficking in Persons Report for the seventh year. The collaborative efforts of the PNP-WCPC together with other local and foreign law enforcement agencies and NGOs resulted in the prosecution of perpetrators and rehabilitation of survivors’ lives. This only further strengthened WCPC’s advocacy to put every perpetrator behind bars to combat and end human trafficking.”

“I congratulate our anti-trafficking colleagues for this latest recognition of our efforts to eliminate trafficking in persons. Although we have been ranked Tier 1 for the past seven years, we will not relent in our work of safeguarding more vulnerable people from being exploited. The National Bureau of Investigation is dedicated to working with local and international law enforcement partners to rescue more victims and make their perpetrators pay,” said Atty. Yehlen C. Agus, CPA, Chief, Anti-Human Trafficking Division.

“IJM supports Philippine authorities not only in protecting children from online sexual exploitation, but also in caring for survivors. We are committed to developing best practices in law enforcement, aftercare, prosecution, as well as local and global deterrence campaigns. It is heartening to see some promising initiatives get global recognition, including the model of international law enforcement collaboration championed by PICACC,” said Atty. Samson Inocencio Jr., National Director and Regional Vice President of IJM Program Against Online Sexual Exploitation of Children.

The Philippines Internet Crimes Against Children Centre (PICACC), which IJM helped establish, was credited with improving the effectiveness of investigations into child sex trafficking online by deepening coordination with law enforcement agencies from several countries.

Launched on February 27, 2019, the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Center (PICACC) is a coordinating body between local and international law enforcement. Principally led by the Philippine National Police’s Women and Children Protection Center (PNP-WCPC) and the National Bureau of Investigation’s Anti-Human-Trafficking Division (NBI-AHTRAD), PICACC is supported by the Australian Federal Police (AFP), the United Kingdom National Crime Agency (UK NCA), the National Police of the Netherlands (Politie) and the non-government organization, International Justice Mission (IJM).

While full of praise for the Philippines’ anti-trafficking efforts, the report also called for increased support for programs that provide specialised care for child victims of online sexual exploitation.

US report gives PH highest ranking in fight vs. trafficking in persons

Building on IJM’s previous study published in 2020, in March 2021 IJM’s Center to End Online Sexual Exploitation of Children launched the Scale of Harm project to develop a method to estimate the prevalence of the trafficking of children to produce child sexual exploitation materials (referred to as “TCSEM”).

Building on IJM’s previous study published in 2020, in March 2021 IJM’s Center to End Online Sexual Exploitation of Children launched the Scale of Harm project to develop a method to estimate the prevalence of the trafficking of children to produce child sexual exploitation materials (referred to as “TCSEM”). 

In this form of online exploitation, offenders typically in Western countries pay adults to livestream the sexual abuse of children in real time, or to produce new abuse photos and videos.Scale of Harm team convened and greatly benefited from in-depth collaboration with an External Advisory Council (EAC) made up of 24 world-class experts, researchers, and field practitioners from organizations across the technology, financial, government, and non-government/child protection sectors.Today we announce that in close partnership and consultation with the University of Nottingham’s Rights Lab and with EAC member support, IJM has developed a robust mixed-method research approach to estimate the prevalence of TCSEM, to implement in the Philippines. 

The approach will combine national household surveys using the Network Scale-up Method (NSUM), with data science analysis of a range of secondary datasets. The Network Scale-up Method is a recognized valid research method to estimate the prevalence of hard-to-reach populations. This method has been featured by the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery (GFEMS) in “Prevalence Estimation: Methods Brief” and used by researchers to estimate the prevalence of child sex trafficking.As research consultants, the Rights Lab led on the design of the research methodology. Scale of Harm has generated a robust evidence base, along with a comprehensive data directory and viability assessments for TCSEM indicators relating to each dataset – all crucially enabled by EAC members’ strong contributions and generosity of time and expertise.

“The Scale of Harm project demonstrates that the child protection sector is mobilised to collaborate and innovate against online exploitation. IJM have positioned research methods innovation within a formidable partnership network from across government, intergovernmental, NGO, finance, tech, law enforcement and academia, and the results bring optimism that step changes are possible in monitoring and tackling online child abuse.” Dr. Emily Wyman, Head of Data Impact and Methods Development & Scale of Harm's research lead.

Developing an accurate prevalence estimation method collaboratively with the EAC—and now implementing it in 2022 to measure prevalence—is crucial in assessing the effectiveness of interventions to protect children.

“This is a remarkable win for everyone working and desiring to end this crime against children. We now have the methodology to measure the prevalence of online sexual exploitation of children that previously was not available. This was made possible through a remarkable group of advisers from the Philippine government and global stakeholders, including the world-leading research team from Nottingham Rights Lab, showing that it takes everyone’s efforts to find the solution.” Sam Inocencio, Regional Vice President, IJM's Programs Against Online Sexual Exploitation of Children.

“Ultimately, successful child protection interventions should lead to fewer children being harmed in the first place. Scale of Harm proves that through global collaboration, we can collectively develop world-leading standards of data measurement to measure violence reduction,” John Tanagho, Executive Director, IJM's Center to End Online Sexual Exploitation of Children.

IJM thanks the Local Survivor Network (LSN) in the Philippines for providing feedback and input during Scale of Harm. The LSN is under IJM's Global Survivor Network, which aspires to create safe communities by empowering survivors to become leaders and advocates of enabling justice systems that safeguard the most vulnerable people. Crystal* warmly expresses her gratitude to the EAC:
“Thank you for sharing your expertise and ideas in order to assist us in determining the prevalence of this crime. And thank you for helping us in scaling up globally the safety and protection of children like me. I hope our efforts lead to the rescue of more survivors or vulnerable individuals from the online sexual exploitation of children.” Crystal*, Local Survivor Network Member. *pseudonym
As the Scale of Harm project shifts from method development to implementation, IJM extends its deepest gratitude to key partners:

The University of Nottingham’s Rights Lab, the world’s largest group of human trafficking and modern-day slavery researchers and experts, who were instrumental in Scale of Harm’s success.
The External Advisory Council, whose local and international multi-disciplinary stakeholders definitively shaped, contributed, and supported the development of the project.

On behalf of the children who will be protected from online sexual exploitation because of your diligence and perseverance, thank you.

Organizations such as internet service providers, electronic service providers, financial sector companies, and others who are interested in exploring collaboration on the implementation of the Scale of Harm methodology in the Philippines in 2022 may contact IJM at [endosec@ijm.org](mailto:endosec@ijm.org).

Methodology Developed to Measure Prevalence of Online Sexual Exploitation of Children in PH

The Fight of My Life: Finding Ruby is an immersive podcast series shining a light on one of the world's fastest growing crimes.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES—International Justice Mission (IJM) gathered leading influencers and key partners during a pre-launch event for The Fight of My Life: Finding Ruby, an immersive podcast series produced by Cadence to shine a light on one of the world’s fastest growing crimes – the online sexual exploitation of children.


The six-part series walks hand-in-hand with 16-year-old Ruby* from her rural home in the Philippines to enslavement in an online sex trafficking den and then into the light of justice.


On August 25, 2022, IJM hosted an event where Ruby (a pseudonym), now a survivor leader helping catalyze a global movement to protect children from this crime, and Rich Thompson, podcast host and creative director of Australian agency Cadence, shared about their journey creating the podcast.


Held at the Calor Membership Lounge in Makati City, the event gave guests a sneak peek of the podcast ahead of its global release on September 5, 2022, with influencers, led by IJM Ambassador Amanda Griffin Jacob, pledging to support this global awareness effort.

There are no reliable estimates on how many children are trapped in the industry, where predators from around the world pay to watch and direct the sexual abuse of children via livestreams, with the median age of victims being just 11 years old. However, the United Nations estimates that at least 750,000 sexual predators are online at any given time.

From behind a veil of acronyms, statistics and niche terminology, Finding Ruby aims to make the livestreamed sexual abuse of children a talking point by highlighting the human side of a hidden crime from the perspective of Ruby, her rescuers and those who walked with her toward justice and healing.

“It was important for us to create an almost cinematic listening experience, to pull listeners alongside Ruby and on the journey through the highs and lows,” said Rich Thompson, Creative Director at Cadence.

“Online sexual exploitation of children is a confronting topic and people are quick to turn away – but Ruby’s story reminds us that there is great triumph and hope to be celebrated, too.”

Using vast soundscapes and gripping first-hand accounts, the podcast takes listeners inside Ruby’s mind as she leaves her rural home – tricked by a fake job offer – and is forced to endure seemingly endless hours in a dark world lit only by computer screens.

The podcast takes listeners into the trafficking den for the dramatic day that police kicked the door down to free Ruby and others – and it continues with her journey through recovery and restoration, the legal system and onto becoming a vital voice in elevating livestreamed child sexual exploitation as an issue of critical importance, for households, tech companies and governments worldwide.

“We wanted to use the stories of those around Ruby – the rescuers, the lawyers, the carers, the advocates – to demonstrate just how profound her story is,” said Evelyn Pingul, Director of Brand, Media and Communications, IJM Program Against Online Sexual Exploitation of Children.

“Ruby’s life was changed forever, but her perseverance, her courage and her resilience also changed the lives of so many others.”

Police Colonel Sheila Portento, former chief of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division of the Philippine National Police - Women and Children Protection Center, spoke at the pre-launch event about her experience rescuing victims of the crime and holding perpetrators accountable.

The first two episodes of Finding Ruby – entitled ‘The Trick’ and ‘The Trap’ – will be released publicly on September 5, but advanced access can be organized upon request.

Since 2016, when IJM began to focus on online sexual exploitation of children, almost 1,000 children have been rescued from online sexual exploitation in the Philippines. An IJM-led study looked into global law enforcement data from 2010 to 2017 and found that Philippines had eight times more reported cases than any other country, making it a global hotspot for the crime.

Cheap internet access, high levels of English-language proficiency, and financial disparity between foreign remote offenders and local traffickers are believed to be key factors driving the proliferation of the crime.

In 40% of online child sexual exploitation cases recorded from 2010 to 2017, biological parents perpetrated the crime, while other relatives, family friends or neighbours accounted for 42%.

In 2019, the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Center (PICACC) was launched to strengthen global law enforcement collaboration against this rapidly growing crime. Led by the Philippine National Police’s Women and Children Protection Center (PNP-WCPC) and the National Bureau of Investigation’s Anti-Human-Trafficking Division (NBI-AHTRAD), PICACC is supported by the Australian Federal Police (AFP), the United Kingdom National Crime Agency (UK NCA), the National Police of the Netherlands (Politie) and non-government organization IJM.

Based on data from IJM-supported casework, Philippine authorities have conducted at least 269 operations since 2011, resulting in the rescue of 990 victims and at-risk children, the arrest of 311 suspects arrested, and the conviction of 146 perpetrators.

Survivor Story Told in 6-Part True Crime Podcast Series

LEYTE, PHILIPPINES – A female trafficker received two life sentences for sexually abusing minors, including her own daughter, in exchange for money from online sex offenders.


LEYTE, PHILIPPINES – A female trafficker received two life sentences for sexually abusing minors, including her own daughter, in exchange for money from online sex offenders.

On February 22, 2023, the Regional Trial Court Branch 10 in the municipality of Abuyog, Leyte found the trafficker (name withheld to protect the identity of her daughter) guilty of qualified trafficking, child abuse, and subjecting minors to online sexual exploitation.

“The conviction achieved by Prosecutor Junery Bagunas in this case was a big win for child protection. No child had to be put on the witness stand and be re-traumatized. Instead, the prosecution maximized the available digital evidence and tapped international collaboration to prove its case. This outcome demonstrates the effectiveness of child-protective approaches in prosecuting online child sexual exploitation cases,” said Regional Prosecutor Irwin Maraya.

The trafficker was given a life sentence for qualified trafficking and another life sentence for child abuse. She was also sentenced to a maximum of 17 years in prison for sexually exploiting minors online. The court ordered her to pay a total fine of P4.5 million for all three offenses.

Lawyer and IJM Cebu Director Lucille Dejito hailed the conviction as a huge win for global collaboration, as it stemmed from the arrest of Philip Chicoine, a Canadian offender who paid the Filipino trafficker to live stream the abuse of minors. One of the witnesses during the trial, Jay Schooley from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), authenticated the referral letter that RCMP sent to the Philippine National Police (PNP). This referral led to the investigation and eventual arrest of the Filipino trafficker in 2017. Another member of the RCMP, Corporal Jared Clarke, also testified that messages and explicit images were exchanged between Chicoine and the Filipino trafficker.

Dejito said, “This conviction is a significant milestone in the global fight against online sexual exploitation of children. It is a testament to the critical role of cross-border collaboration to timely rescue victims and bring perpetrators to justice. As a borderless crime, we must continue to seek borderless solutions.”

> “This conviction is a significant milestone in the global fight against online sexual exploitation of children. It is a testament to the critical role of cross-border collaboration to timely rescue victims and bring perpetrators to justice. As a borderless crime, we must continue to seek borderless solutions.”

“Online child sexual exploitation is a borderless crime. It impacts all countries and targets our most vulnerable – our children,” said RCMP Chief Superintendent Gord Sage, Director General, Sensitive and Specialized Investigative Services. “This case demonstrates the importance of law enforcement working together on a global scale. The collaboration between the RCMP and Philippine National Police - Women and Children Protection Center (Visayas Field Unit) helped result in the conviction of this offender. The RCMP and its partners around the world work to safeguard children from online child sexual exploitation. Child protection efforts are strengthened when we all work together.”

> “Online child sexual exploitation is a borderless crime. It impacts all countries and targets our most vulnerable – our children....This case demonstrates the importance of law enforcement working together on a global scale.”

Chicoine was convicted and sentenced to 12 years in prison (later increased to 15 years) in 2017 for orchestrating and paying for the live streaming of child sexual abuse. He pled guilty to 40 sexual offenses committed against children and was found to be in possession of more than 10,000 images and videos of child sexual abuse. He had spent more than $20,000 arranging for the live streaming of child sexual abuse of victims in the Philippines and Romania.

Meanwhile, members of the PNP Women and Children Protection Center-Visayas Field Unit (WCPC-VFU) arrested the Filipino trafficker on November 10, 2017. They caught her in the act of offering to perform sex acts on her own 7-year-old daughter and livestream those sex acts from her home in MacArthur, Leyte. Her daughter was rescued during the operation, along with eight other children.

The trafficker was then charged with violations of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, the Cybercrime Prevention Act, and the Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.

To date, IJM has supported Philippine authorities in the conviction of more than 180 perpetrators for offenses related to the online sexual exploitation of children. IJM has also supported more than 320 operations, leading to the rescue of more than 1,080 victims. ###







Notes:

Under Philippine laws, the name and personal circumstances of the trafficked person or any other information tending to establish the identity of the trafficked person and his or her family shall not be disclosed to the public.

The Terminology Guidelines for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, also known as the Luxembourg Guidelines, prescribes the use of the term “child sexual abuse material” or “child sexual exploitation material” instead of “child pornography”. Sexualized material that depicts or otherwise represents children is a representation, and a form, of child sexual abuse and should not be described as “pornography.”



For more inquiries, contact:
Evelyn Pingul
Director, Brand, Media, and Communications 
IJM’s Program Against Online Sexual Exploitation of Children
epingul@ijm.org


About IJM

International Justice Mission is a global organization that protects people in poverty from violence. IJM partners with local authorities in 29 program offices in 17 countries to combat slavery, violence against women and children, and police abuse of power against people who are poor. IJM works with local authorities and governments to rescue and restore survivors, hold perpetrators accountable, and help strengthen public justice systems so they can better protect people from violence.

Our 21 years of work in the Philippines led to a dramatic decrease in the prevalence of sex trafficking of children in bars and brothels—reductions ranging from 72%-86% in the cities where we partnered with local authorities. In 2016, IJM fully transitioned our program in the Philippines to combat online sexual exploitation of children, in particular the trafficking of children to create new child sexual abuse materials, including via livestreaming. We have assisted Philippine authorities in more than 308 operations, leading to the rescue of 1037 victims and arrest of 320 suspects of online sexual exploitation of children (first case dates to 2011).

Leyte Court Sentences Online Sex Trafficker to Life in Prison

The Philippine Survivor Network writes a letter in support of the proposed EU legislation to prevent and combat child sexual exploitation and abuse online, along with their recommendations.

The Philippine Survivor Network or PSN is an all-inclusive program in the Philippines for survivors of different types of violence, including child sexual exploitation and abuse online. They desire to pursue safer communities with sustained restoration of survivors and a responsive network of care and justice systems.

The PSN is a local chapter of the Global Survivor Network (GSN), an international group of survivors leading a global movement to protect communities around the world from violence. Through the GSN, survivors of violence from around the world are advocating for change in their communities and speaking out as leaders.


> We are writing this letter so you will know our side of the story as survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation and for you to know that we are willing to collaborate with you on any aspect.


The PSN addresses the European Parliament and European Union Council in their letter of support.

Survivor leaders known by their pseudonyms Joy, Ashira, and Carsten, drew from personal experience and provided recommendations to strengthen the legislation.

Their recommendations include:
* Balance user privacy with child protection and the privacy of victims and survivors.
* Companies should be required to detect both new and known child sexual abuse material.
* Companies should be required to prevent livestreamed child sexual abuse.
* The ‘EU Centre on Child Abuse’ will support international collaboration efforts.
* Foreign victims outside the EU should be given the right to request and expect content removal and entitled to reparations.


## Listen to the survivors

Stated in their letter, the privacy of victims and survivors is an important consideration. Perpetrators had exposed their privacy without their knowledge or consent. They request that the EU not forget about the privacy of victims and survivors whose sexual abuse is in photos and videos shared online.

The survivor leaders also wrote that timely detection and removal of child sexual abuse material is crucial in combatting online exploitation and abuse. It can protect children from harm, prevent distribution of such material, and further victimization.

Creation of an 'EU Centre on Child Abuse' will increase international collaboration to identify perpetrators and victims of child sexual abuse. PSN finds that, through this Centre, it will be easier for survivors to get justice. Working together globally is necessary to end such a global crime. They also encouraged governments that the more they collaborate with survivors, the more they would understand their advocacies of their rights.

In their final recommendation, the survivor leaders wrote that if victims outside the EU were given the right to request content removal and were entitled to reparations, it would provide them with more options to seek justice and hold perpetrators accountable for their actions.


> The people demanding child sexual abuse material and the people exploiting children to create it are powerful. You are powerful, too, and we are more powerful together. We need you to use your powers as European leaders and citizens to protect children around the world.


Ultimately, the PSN advocates for the passing of this bill; that the legislators understand the urgency of making this into law in order to end online sexual exploitation of children in Europe and globally.


Access the letter here: [https://osec.ijm.org/documents/87/PSN_Letter_to_EU_Parliament_and_Union_Council.pdf](https://osec.ijm.org/documents/87/PSN_Letter_to_EU_Parliament_and_Union_Council.pdf) 


Philippine Survivors Urge EU Parliament and Council for Stronger Legislation

Celebrating partners, survivor leaders, and the big wins in supporting child survivors of online sexual exploitation around the Philippines   

Last April 26, 2023, IJM and partners celebrated the conclusion of **A Strong Network of Care,** a two-year project led by IJM’s Aftercare, the branch of our work that supports the restoration of child survivors of online sexual exploitation. 
 
The hybrid gathering, streaming from New Coast Hotel Manila, welcomed over 120 in-person attendees, including guests from around Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, and over 150 online participants to celebrate and appreciate the hard work and perseverance that went into building this network of care for survivors. 

A Strong Network of Care, a project funded by the U.S. Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (J/TIP), ran from May 2021 to April 2023. 
The project was launched to address specific gaps in aftercare. Pre-project research confirmed that services such as mental health services and foster care services were severely lacking as the number of survivors increased. 

We are awed by the extent of the growth of this strong network these past 2 years, and the passion of partners, foster parents, social workers, and government leaders in bringing resources, funds, time, and energy to transform aftercare in the Philippines. 

Watch the project highlights, a video that was shown at the celebration: 

<div className="video-container">
<iframe width="100%" 
src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ar2_YS9mD7M" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 </div>

![Keynote Speaker Secretary Rex Gatchalian, Department of Social Welfare and Development](https://assets.ijm.app/DSWD-Rex-Gatchalian.jpg)

<figcaption align = "left" style={{ fontSize: 15, color: '#ACB1BB' }}>Keynote Speaker Secretary Rex Gatchalian, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)</figcaption>

![An atmosphere of celebration and appreciation](https://assets.ijm.app/JTIP-Closeout-IJM.jpg)

![An atmosphere of celebration and appreciation](https://assets.ijm.app/JTIP-Closeout-IJM.jpg)
<figcaption align = "left" style={{ fontSize: 15, color: '#ACB1BB' }}>An atmosphere of celebration and appreciation</figcaption>

## Celebrating Firsts 

* With the Strong Network of Care, survivors in marginalized sectors received mental health services for the first time. 

* This project is the first comprehensive approach to close the gaps in aftercare in the Philippines. Creating scalable approaches and models, the project developed networks of care in five regions and conducted strategic planning for four regions. One hundred sixty-seven members of the network of care were trained in providing trauma-informed services. Thirty practitioners were trained in Trauma-Informed Psychosocial Processing. And reintegration plans were developed for 33 survivors. 
 
## Celebrating Transformation
 
* We celebrate survivors’ changed lives through rescue and restoration, as heard from stories and case studies narrated by partners from the City Social Welfare and Development Office. 

* Ten local government units passed and implemented local ordinances against OSEC. We are entering a new era in aftercare in which the government is supporting the needs of survivors more than ever before. 
 
## Celebrating Leadership 

* The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) was a strong and constant presence throughout this project. Sec. Alex Gatchalian represented the DSWD central office at the celebration. “The fight against OSAEC (online sexual abuse and exploitation of children) is not a fight of any single organization. We must take a proactive stance and protect our children’s welfare vigorously. The DSWD and all partner agencies cannot do this alone. All the help from all sectors of our society is vital. Through collective, multi-sectoral, and multi-level action, we will create a sense of hope for this generation whose salvation lies in our actions. Let us not fail our children who are counting their faith in each one of us,” said DSWD Secretary Rexlon Gatchalian. 

* Representing Iligan City was Hon Frederick Siao, who happily shared that their Child City Code was approved just the day before the celebration. In his speech, Mayor Siao thanked IJM for alerting their office on the state of online sexual exploitation of children in the city. Iligan City passed their local ordinance known as the “Iligan City Ordinance on the Protection of Children from Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse” on February 21, 2023, which was signed last March 9, 2023. Iligan is among the cities who formed a Network of Care composed of government, non-government, private organizations, faith-based organizations, academe, and individual service providers with the capacity to provide programs and services to OSEC survivors and their families. Mayor Siao expressed his satisfaction in being able to co-fight crimes with IJM. 
 
 
## Celebrating Foster Care
 
* The Strong Network of Care project established the Mindanao Foster Care Working Group, trained 20 individuals in foster and kinship care, and trained 34 social workers trained in managing foster and kinship care. In our partners’ experience, foster care training doubles the likelihood of the success of a foster parent. 

* Foster care is among the biggest areas of need. In a video by the Parenting Foundation of the Philippines, Foster parents shared their struggles and victories and expressed how crucial foster care training is. “Being a foster parent of an osec survivor can be scary,” a foster parent confessed in her native dialect. “It’s not easy to be a foster parent especially to children who experienced trauma.” She shared that she “experienced abuse and neglect and so wanted to be a foster parent.” Through the Strong Network of Care’s training programs, she learned how to effectively talk to the children and help them “voice out and express their wishes, thoughts, and problems.” 
 
## Celebrating Survivor Leadership 

* When survivor Marj (not her real name) took the stage with a gripping testimony, the room was silent and awed by her courage and moved by her story. Marj shared that she thought she would be abused for the rest of her life, and did not have hope until she understood why abuse happens. “I became a survivor leader when I had the courage to share my story,” Marj shared.“I chose to have the courage to be a good example for other people...I am happy to be here in front of you.” Marj affirmed her commitment to her role as a survivor leader, “I will not stop fighting so that no youth should experience this crime again.” Marj shared how he has been able to participate in round table discussions and contribute to IJM publications. She also had the opportunity to speak before the UN, in IJM events and training. She gained confidence in herself, and gained a deeper understanding of what IJM and partners do. Marj is a picture of a journey from pain and trauma, to hope, courage, leadership. Now a member of the Philippine Survivor network. 

* Charito (not her real name), chairperson of the Philippine Survivor Network said: “I am grateful for the project because it has given us, survivors, a community to support one another in our healing journey and our advocacy. Through the project, we have received training and skills that have empowered us to become advocates and leaders in our own right. Survivor-advocates will continue to work together towards a world where no child is ever subjected to the horrors of sexual exploitation.” 

* The Philippine Survivor Network was launched on February 8, 2023. The group conducted its first General Assembly in March 2023. 

* 39 survivors leveled up in storytelling through the training, “Advocacy and the Power of Story” 

![A message from Jamie Sutter, Grants Officer, U.S. Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons](https://assets.ijm.app/JTIP-Closeout-Jamie-Sutter.jpg)

![A message from Jamie Sutter, Grants Officer, U.S. Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons](https://assets.ijm.app/JTIP-Closeout-Jamie-Sutter.jpg)

<figcaption align = "left" style={{ fontSize: 15, color: '#ACB1BB' }}>A message from Jamie Sutter, Grants Officer, U.S. Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (J/TIP)</figcaption>
 
![Ma. Paz De Guzman, Parenting Foundation of the Philippines; Dolores Rubia, IJM; Atty. Vincent J. Ong, Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking](https://assets.ijm.app/JTIP-Closeout-Speakers.jpg)

<figcaption align = "left" style={{ fontSize: 15, color: '#ACB1BB'}}>L-R Ma. Paz De Guzman, Parenting Foundation of the Philippines; Dolores Rubia, IJM; Atty. Vincent J. Ong, Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (DOJ-IACAT) </figcaption>


## The Work in Child Protection and Survivor Restoration Continues 
 
We are grateful to the U.S. Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (J/TIP) for their generosity and presence. Grants officer Jamie Sutter delivered a recorded welcome message to the attendees: 

“You have demonstrated that the work of combating online sexual exploitation of children is not solely a two-year endeavor, but a long-term commitment that we must all remain committed to.

It is not an easy task, especially because the project began in the middle of the global COVID pandemic, and I commend your dedication and resilience against such challenging and unprecedented factors to ensure the project stayed on track.”

Atty. Samson Inocencio Jr., Vice President and National Director of IJM's Program against Online Sexual Exploitation of Children, said:

“The success of the A Strong Network of Care project is a huge milestone in IJM's efforts to combat online sexual exploitation of children in the Philippines. The project has enhanced the capacity of the country’s network of social services to provide a comprehensive and trauma-informed response that meets the individual needs of OSEC survivors. We are grateful to the U.S. State Department Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons for investing in survivor care. IJM remains committed to protecting children from this heinous crime and ensuring that survivors receive the support they need to live a life free from exploitation.”
 
We are grateful to our key partners and supporters in this project: 
* Department of Social Welfare and Development 
* Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking 
* Council for the Welfare of Children 
* Child Protection Network 
* Parenting Foundation of the Philippines 
* Local governments of cities and provinces in National Capital Region, Regions III and IV-A in Luzon, Regions VII and VIII in the Visayas, and Regions X and XIII in Mindanao. 
 
Together let's continue the work of child protection and survivor restoration. We are stronger together and we look forward to our continuing partnership!

Stronger Together: Celebrating a 2-year IJM and U.S. State Department Collaboration in Creating a Network of Care for Survivors

The recently passed Anti-OSAEC* Law (R.A. 11930) gives local governments the authority and access to resources to protect communities from the *Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children. But local legislators must take some first steps.

### What Needs to Be Done?
One of the first steps to strengthening protection for LGUs (local government units) is to submit an ordinance (a law specific to that particular local government), which when passed into law will prohibit acts of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC), indicate their corresponding penalties, create a supportive environment for the survivors, and provide the funds needed.

![The IJM team supporting local legislators through a seminar, "Child Protective Strategies in Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC) and the Role of Legislation in Providing a Supportive Environment."](https://assets.ijm.app/NPD-Seminar-NPD-Team.png)
<figcaption align = "left" style={{ fontSize: 15, color: '#ACB1BB' }}>The IJM team supporting local legislators through a seminar, "Child Protective Strategies in Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC) and the Role of Legislation in Providing a Supportive Environment."</figcaption>

![Local legislators who attended IJM's seminar on Child-Protective Strategies in August 2022, with the IJM team.](https://assets.ijm.app/NPD-Seminar-August-Participants.png)
<figcaption align = "left" style={{ fontSize: 15, color: '#ACB1BB' }}>Local legislators who attended IJM's seminar on Child-Protective Strategies in August 2022, with the IJM team.</figcaption>

![Participants of the November workshop on the Role of Local Legislators as Support Environment for Survivors of Online Sexual Exploitation of Children, with the IJM team](https://assets.ijm.app/NAD-Seminar-November-Participants.jpg)
<figcaption align = "left" style={{ fontSize: 15, color: '#ACB1BB' }}>Participants of the November workshop on the Role of Local Legislators as Support Environment for Survivors of Online Sexual Exploitation of Children, with the IJM team</figcaption>


### A Nationwide Response

Legislators representing localities across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao have taken swift action to draft their ordinances against the Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children.

These legislators attended IJM Philippines’ seminars and workshops held last August and November, on Child Protective Strategies, based on the Expanded Anti-Trafficking Law and the Anti-OSAEC Law. These laws empower local governments to strengthen protection through ordinances.

![Philippine Map showing Localities of the Legislators](https://assets.ijm.app/PH-Map-Local-Legislators.png)


### Celebrating Completed Ordinances

Five ordinances have been signed into law and will take effect 15 days upon publication in the city newspaper.

Congratulations to the legislators who have completed their ordinances:

Councilor Jaycee Aguas 
Angeles City, Pampanga

Vice Mayor Justin Gatuslao 
Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental

Provincial Board Member Karla Adajar 
3rd District of Laguna

Councilor Redentor Halili 
San Fernando, Pampanga

Councilor Cherry May G. Busa 
Butuan City

Update: Since this page was published in December 2022, more local ordinances have been passed. 

As of March 2023:

Councilor Maria Isabel Pascual 
Baliuag, Bulacan 

Councilor Rosevi Queenie Belmonte 
Iligan City 

Councilor Lemuel Pogoy 
Cordova

Cebu Councilor Sarah Lipumano-Garcia 
Olongapo City 

Vice Mayor Mike Galang 
Floridablanca, Pampanga

Hon. Gina Maria Enage 
Biliran


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### How Do These Ordinances Protect Children?

Anti-OSAEC ordinances that are passed into law allow for the allocation of resources, personnel, infrastructure, and technology to be dedicated to preventing, as well as responding to, OSAEC cases in the community. The local government is also empowered to sustain and further build protections needed.

![Excerpt from an ordinance](https://assets.ijm.app/OrdinanceExample1.jpg)
![Excerpt from an ordinance](https://assets.ijm.app/OrdinanceExample2.jpg)
![Excerpt from an ordinance](https://assets.ijm.app/OrdinanceExample3.jpg)


### Protecting the Best Interests of the Child

It takes a village to raise a child, but it takes every sector of society to protect them. We celebrate local legislators for taking a critical step in fighting for the best interests of the child, and the growing wave of support among local governments around the Philippines.

We celebrate local legislators for taking a critical step in fighting for the best interests of the child. We are witnessing a growing wave of support among local governments around the Philippines.

The Philippines has come a long way in protecting children. While we are a hotspot for the crime of online sexual exploitation, as we continue to partner together, we are making unprecedented strides in child protection, and making justice for child survivors unstoppable.

![Photo of children](https://assets.ijm.app/Children.png)

IJM Works with Local Lawmakers to Strengthen Child Protection in Communities

We're getting closer than ever before to achieving multi-sectoral and multi-faceted protection of children from online offenders.

Children need companies to **design platforms for safety** as effectively as they innovate for profit.  Kids need governments to regulate the internet the way they regulate physical spaces—with **protection and accountability**  as priority. And **civil society organizations**  must play their role too, sharing promising models and practices while amplifying survivor leaders globally.  


These imperatives are in the [Global Principles on Digital Safety,]( https://www.weforum.org/whitepapers/global-principles-on-digital-safety-translating-international-human-rights-for-the-digital-context/) published by the World Economic Forum, and recent global experience affirms their truth. 


For instance, the world is moving on from the COVID-19 pandemic in large part because of the urgency with which corporations, governments, and research institutions collaborated to develop and deploy vaccines. A process that normally takes 10-15 years was accomplished in only 12 months because of i) urgent ii) global collaboration.  


Another pandemic that continues to rage—child sexual abuse and exploitation online—similarly needs urgent global action. It is crystal clear that digital spaces and internet-connected, camera-enabled devices pose growing opportunities for offenders to sexually abuse children with ease, anonymity, and impunity.  And much is at stake. 


In my 8 years leading International Justice Mission (IJM) teams in the Philippines, I saw firsthand the harm caused to children sexually abused real-time in video calls, as directed by paying sex offenders in Western countries. These offenders abuse their financial power to exploit children remotely, producing new CSAM (child sexual abuse material). 

The Australian Institute of Criminology [found]( https://www.aic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-10/ti639_live_streaming_of_child_sexual_abuse.pdf 	) a median of A$51 being paid by sex offenders, equivalent of just over £31 Euro or $33USD, per abusive livestream.  
## $33 is all it costs to purchase a child’s dignity, safety, and privacy.


While the offender watches the abuse in real-time, it rarely stays there.  Recorded livestreamed abuse fuels the explosion in child abuse material online (as documented by UK-based [Internet Watch Foundation]( https://www.iwf.org.uk/media/23jj3nc2/distribution-of-captures-of-live-streamed-child-sexual-abuse-final.pdf)). Child victims are left with serious emotional and physical trauma, and in the Philippines, victims are abused for *two years* on average prior to safeguarding. In the Philippines, this type of online sexual exploitation violates human trafficking, child abuse and cybercrime laws, including a new Anti-OSAEC (Anti-Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation) [law]( https://legacy.senate.gov.ph/republic_acts/ra%2011930.pdf) passed in 2022. 

![Diagram of the global reach of OSEC](https://assets.ijm.app/OSEC-Report-2020.jpg)

OSEC is a global crime, in which a single OSEC trafficker often engages with multiple OSEC customers from around the world, and in which a single OSEC customer often solicits abuse material from multiple OSEC traffickers. 

Whether the demand-side offenders are in the UK, U.S., Australia, Europe or anywhere else, the harm to children is the same: behind every livestream is a real child, suffering real trauma — often for years on end while the abuse goes undetected, unreported, and unprevented. In my years working in the Philippines, the identified global hotspot for financially-motivated livestreamed [exploitation.](https://paragonn-cdn3.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/ijmuk.org/documents/FULL-OSEC-REPORT.pdf) 

I have heard from survivors of this abuse, who recount its devastating impact. 
Ruby*, who was trafficked as a 16-year-old, recalls how the abuse eroded her will to live: 
>**While doing every disgusting show [in front of the computer camera with the customer], I lost every bit of my self-esteem to the point where I felt disgusted with myself as well. It’s like being trapped in a dark room without any rays of light at all. There’s no point in living at all.**



Joy*, another survivor leader, advocates for improved detection and reporting, informed by her personal story of abuse: 



>**I think there should be a technology that will detect CSAM. Because in my experience, I was abused when I was still young but I was only rescued after several years after the abuse. It is better that children will be rescued earlier by early detection. With early detection, there will be less children that will be further abuse if perpetrators are detected or arrested early on. Foreigner pedophiles must also be detected and stopped early on because they create the demand for CSAM both on the production and livestreaming.**




*a pseudonym
## Data Insights Reveal a Growing Threat
While reports to the U.S. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline continue to increase every year, other data sources reveal a growth in severity of harm.  In 2022, the Internet Watch Foundation found that “extreme child sexual abuse” online doubled in just two years.  While data on demand-side offenders is scarce, the UK reports there are between 550,000 and 850,000 people in the UK alone who pose sexual risks to children, [according to the National Crime Agency]( https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/news/online-is-the-new-frontline-in-fight-against-organised-crime-says-national-crime-agency-on-publication-of-annual-threat-assessment). And a recent survey of CSAM offenders on the dark web revealed that 51% of German respondents watch live-streamed child sexual abuse. 
The threat to children of being abused in ‘real-time’ too, has grown. “Live-streaming of child sexual exploitation for payment has seen an increase in recent years” according to [INTERPOL]( https://www.interpol.int/en/News-and-Events/News/2020/INTERPOL-report-highlights-impact-of-COVID-19-on-child-sexual-abuse). [Europol]( https://www.europol.europa.eu/publications-events/main-reports/internet-organised-crime-threat-assessment-iocta-2020) Europol and the [WeProtect Global Alliance](https://www.weprotect.org/global-threat-assessment-21/) concur. At IJM, in partnership with the Nottingham Rights Lab, we are set to release results in mid-2023 of a multi-year research effort to measure the prevalence of financially motivated CSAM production in the Philippines through our [Scale of Harm](https://www.ijm.org.ph/assets/resource/IJM-Scale-of-Harm-Project-Summary-2022.pdf). To our knowledge, this will be the first such study in the world, providing data and programmatic insights at national and local levels. Scale of Harm has been, from day one, a multi-sector collaboration that benefitted from survivor leader expertise and consultation all along the way. 
## Legislative Movements Promise Change
In response, governments and legislators across the globe are moving to both regulate tech platforms and resource justice response: Examples include the Philippines [Anti-OSAEC law]( https://legacy.senate.gov.ph/republic_acts/ra%2011930.pdf), UK Online Safety Bill, Australia’s Online Safety Act 2021 and BOSE, the proposed [EU legislation to prevent and combat online CSEA]( https://www.end-violence.org/articles/eus-proposed-new-legislation-promises-brave-new-online-world), and several bills in the U.S. ([REPORT](https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2023/2/blackburn-ossoff-introduce-bill-to-update-missing-and-exploited-children-cybertipline) Act, [Project Safe Childhood]( https://hunt.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-hunt-senator-cornyn-introduce-bill-improve-investigations-online) Act, etc). All these legislative initiatives seek to prevent child sexual abuse online through some combination of increased detection, reporting, a duty of care, safety by design, transparency and accountability, and improved law enforcement responses. All of this legislative action is truly urgent, because this growing societal cancer has – for many years now – been ‘outstripping our global capacity to respond and *‘a [constantly evolving phenomenon]( https://www.europol.europa.eu/crime-areas-and-statistics/crime-areas/child-sexual-exploitation), shaped by developments in technology.’*
Other experts, like Hany Farid, argue that it is time to take a [product liability]( https://data.berkeley.edu/news/hany-farid-testifies-section-230-platform-accountability-gonzalez-and-reform) and consumer protection approach to address unsafe product design choices lacking built-in safety features. Simply put, children need companies to design for safety as effectively as they innovate for profit.
## Justice & Tech Solutions Exist
Most experts agree, there is no single approach to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation.  Rather, like other public health and crime prevention efforts, effective prevention is multi-sectoral and multi-faceted.
A safety by design approach can play a central role in *preventing* harm from ever taking place. And when it does happen, companies need to quickly detect and report the maximum amount of information so law enforcement can do their job. As governments replace offender impunity with offender accountability, that too will serve to prevent future harm by deterring a subset of offenders. In other words, safety by design combined with effective justice responses can create a shield for children, exponentially increasing their protection online and in the real world, both before and after initial harm. And both of these can ultimately change societal norms when it becomes harder to find and create CSAM online and more costly for offenders to do so.  

When impunity reigns—as it does today—no one is safe. 

It is therefore encouraging to see national governments stepping in.  For instance, as part of a comprehensive partnership, IJM supported Philippine authorities to bring to safety 1081 children and others at-risk through strengthening justice system responses. Justice system capacity to address these crimes in the Philippines is stronger than before and continues to grow through NGO and international partnerships. Philippine law enforcement, prosecutors, and social services have prioritized trauma-informed, child protection efforts.  Within its first four years of operation, the Philippines Internet Crimes Against Children Center (PICACC) made possible the rescue of 577 victims from online sexual exploitation and the arrest of 122 offenders. With more widespread global cooperation, imagine how much more could be done.
Protecting children from these crimes requires coordinated global efforts from governments, the tech and financial sectors, civil society, and survivor leaders. It is critical that companies clearly understand the scale of harm occurring on or via their platforms, which is why IJM’s Center to End Online Sexual Exploitation of Children collaborates with industry on improved detection, disruption and reporting. In November 2022, I spoke passionately at the Singapore FinTech Festival, the largest financial tech gathering in the world. I called on tech and financial sectors to embed child safety into their platforms and products and partner with NGOs working to make [communities safer](https://ijm.org.au/fintech/). 


But what can companies do when the abuse happens in “real-time” and how can privacy concerns be addressed?  Safety technology, such as SafeToWatch and others, promises to technologically prevent and disrupt the production and sharing of new CSAM, even in [end-to-end encrypted]( https://safetonet.com/safetowatch-commentary-wired-magazine/) environments.  Such real-time threat detection tools are designed to disrupt the display of child sexual abuse happening live on video conferencing platforms.  Implemented on devices or in apps, such technology could prevent child sexual abuse material production without unfairly invading someone’s privacy. 
While tools to detect known and new child abuse in images, recorded and live video exist, implementation of online safety rules, tools, and systems is uneven across companies, with no established standards or action.  For example, in 2022 [Australia’s eSafety Commissioner] (https://www.esafety.gov.au/industry/basic-online-safety-expectations) issued legal notices to seven tech companies requiring them to report on how they are tackling child sexual exploitation on their platforms. The report revealed “that the providers are neither taking action to detect CSEA in livestreams (insofar as any of these could be regarded as livestreaming services) or taking action to detect CSEA in video calls or conferences.” All companies should use the best available technology to combat CSAM in images and recorded/live video.
As child sexual abuse online rages, governments can help reduce the production of first-generation child abuse materials, including livestreamed exploitation.  Government legislation should create requirements or standards for tech companies to make their platforms and products safe by design.  We need to expect more technological prevention from companies, not simply more reporting.  
While still reacting to harm by detecting and removing CSAM already online, companies should move increasingly upstream to prevent CSAM production and distribution in the first instance, including by testing sophisticated on-device (“client-side”) emerging technologies. These technologies can be privacy protective. With industry-wide change, offenders can have nowhere to hide and nowhere online to abuse children with impunity.
In considering how best to regulate digital spaces in a post-pandemic world, it is essential that governments listen directly to survivor leaders, including from the Global South, who are speaking out about the issue. Survivor leaders, such as from the [Philippine Survivor Network]( https://www.ijm.org.ph/articles/philippine-survivor-network-launched) have unique expertise and credibility to advise on building a digital landscape that gives no opportunity for exploitation. They have already consulted on the [UK Online Safety Bill]( https://www.ijmuk.org/stories/survivor-letter-to-uk-government-online-safety-bill), the World Economic Forum Global Principles for Digital Safety, and [advocated for passing of EU legislation]( https://globalsurvivornetwork.org/stories/philippine-survivors-urge-eu-parliament-and-union-council-for-stronger-legislation). 

To stem the growth of these violations of children’s rights, it will take a coordinated global effort among legislators, criminal justice systems, tech and financial sectors, civil society, and survivor leaders.

The challenges are complex, but child protection solutions – in the justice, tech, and financial sectors – already exist.  It is time for key stakeholders to prioritize broad deployment of these comprehensive child protection systems. 

Just as urgent global collaboration and resource investment helped curb the COVID-19 pandemic, so too can a global, urgent multi-sectoral response protect millions of children from offenders eager to harm them online and in person. 

**John Tanagho** is Executive Director of IJM’s [Center to End Online Sexual Exploitation of Children]( https://www.ijm.org.ph/center) 

