Digital technology has ushered in great advances in society, but it has also introduced new threats and crimes that prey on vulnerable children. As the number of individuals utilizing the internet grows, a new form of trafficking known as Online Sexual Exploitation of Children OSEC is emerging with the Philippines being the global epicenter since During the early months of the pandemic in May , the Department of Justice DOJ revealed that reports of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children OSAEC increased three-fold in the Philippines from March to May compared to the same period in To add to the alarming situation, child sexual abuse materials CSAM do not stay on the deep web anymore.
During the pandemic, it was found that videos and photos containing sexual abuse of children were being sold on social media and messaging applications for as low as PHP The pandemic restrictions may have already eased in but the economic conditions resulting from COVID remain as more Filipinos are found to be unemployed 3.
Given these prevailing factors, the vulnerability of Filipino children remains to be very high. Join us at the Behind the Screen Research Conference to combat online sexual abuse and exploitation of children.
Description of the event: The worsening situation for Filipino children calls for evidence-based practices that should inform the prevention of, protection from, and prosecution of OSAEC.
It will be beneficial to stakeholders to understand the status of and gaps in existing practices on prevention and protection measures, as well as the prosecution process of OSAEC. With this information, we can gain more support to improve the quality of care and services to the child survivors and their families. To update OSAEC protection actors on the new empirical data available, a research conference will gather researchers from different disciplines to share their research findings.
