Philippines: 260% Spike in Online Sex Abuse of Children amid Lockdown

Cases of online sexual abuse of children in the Philippines have risen by as much as 260 percent since the country’s coronavirus lockdown measures were imposed in March, Philippine news outlet Coconuts Manila reported on Tuesday.

The Philippines Department of Justice [DOJ] announced the alarming statistic on Monday, citing data from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children [NCMEC], a non-profit organization. From March 1 to May 24, The NCMEC reported a total of 279,166 child abuse cases to the DOJ, compared to 76,561 cases for the same period in 2019.

According to the report, the majority of child abuse cases reported to the DOJ included “possession, manufacture, and distribution of child porn; enticing kids to perform sexual acts online; trafficking minors for sex; and sexual molestation.” In a statement, the DOJ attributed the increase in cases to the Philippines’ stringent coronavirus lockdown measures: “[A] strict home quarantine is observed in all households, and internet usage surges as people stay home.”

Out of the thousands of cases, just 22 have been referred to the National Bureau of Investigation, according to the report. The DOJ said this was due, in part, to the referral of some cases to the Philippine National Police.

So far, authorities have arrested ten people in connection with the reported cases and have detained seven suspects, according to Coconuts Manila. State authorities rescued 34 minors in response to the reports. Two cases connected to the reports are currently on federal trial in the Philippines. Other cases have been filed in the prosecutors’ offices of four different cities: Butuan, Taguig, Caloocan, and Angeles City.

DOJ Undersecretary Markk Perete said that the high number of cases may be due to “misreporting,” explaining that there were “identical materials reported by many people” as well as people reporting nude photos of children which were posted by relatives to social media “in good faith.” He also said there had been “inaccurate reports forwarded by internet service providers.”

In a statement, the DOJ said that Philippine internet service providers [ISPs] should install technologies to prevent pedophiles from accessing webpages advertising child pornography.

It is unfortunate that eleven years after the law that prohibits any form of child pornography was passed, the ISPs have continued to be remiss of [their] duty to install blocking or filtering technology that would have greatly reduced the amount of time necessary to identify perpetrators and victims.

Last week, the International Justice Mission, a non-profit organization combating the sexual abuse of minors, published a seven-year study that found that “endemic poverty” was responsible for making the Philippines a “global hotspot” for child abuse and pornography.