DOJ sees steady rise in Philippine online child sexual abuse

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Saturday said there was a steady increase in online sexual exploitation of children in the country.

A consistent and sharp rise in the number of IP addresses for Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) linked to the Philippines was seen - from 2,326 IP addresses in 2014 to 4,872 in 2017, based on the data provided by DOJ spokesperson Atty. Mico Clavano on Saturday.

“The Philippines also received more than eight times as many referrals as any other country identified by the global law enforcement case data,” the DOJ said.

The DOJ, citing the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), also said there was a 130% increase in Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) that may involve online sexual abuse or exploitation of children (OSAEC) from 2019 to 2020.

From 19,013 STRs related to OSEC in 2019, the report stated that it doubled to 47,937 in 2020.

It said that most months of 2020 also reflected a significant month-to-month increase from 2019.

Meanwhile, the DOJ-Office of Cybercrime (OOC) also reported a more than three-fold increase in Cyber Tipline Reports (CTRs) from 2019 with 426,961 to 2020 with 1,297,474.

The department said this number increased seven-fold in 2021 with 3,084,566, while for the first semester of 2022, at least 1,044,420 CTRs were received.

The DOJ, citing a report from the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Center (PICACC), said there was an increase in actual Anti-OSEC operations and OSEC victims rescued from 2019 to 2021.

It said that the Cyber-TIP Monitoring (CTIPMC) assisted in the successful investigations of six operations that resulted in the apprehension of five perpetrators and the rescue of 60 possible OSEC victims.

It also endorsed 33 reports to NBI-Anti Human Trafficking Division for the takedown of groups or pages on social media.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla earlier said the Philippines was leading in child sexual exploitation.

Remulla had met with Mama Fatima Singhateh, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Sale and Sexual Exploitation of Children.

Asked about the status of online sexual exploitation in the country, Remulla said, "We’re No. 1 in the world.”

Singhateh on Thursday bared that the Philippines remained to be a source and place for child trafficking, sale, sexual abuse, and forced marriage and labor, among others. — DVM, GMA Integrated News