Pinoy children unable to report online sex abuse – report

MANILA, Philippines — Fifty-five percent of children surveyed in the Philippines did not know how to report harmful content on social media, a report on online child sexual exploitation and abuse (OCSEA) revealed.

Funded by the Global Partnership to End Violence against Children, the “Disrupting Harm” research project on OCSEA was jointly designed and implemented by the End Child Prostitution and Trafficking organization, International Criminal Police Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund.

Key findings in the “Disrupting Harm in The Philippines” report include 44 percent of children not knowing where to get help if they or a friend were subjected to sexual harassment or abuse, 13 percent who had sexual images of them shared without their permission within the last year, 36 percent who did not know who had shared their images, and 31 percent of children who did not tell anyone when their sexual images were shared without their permission.

Thirteen percent of children surveyed had also been threatened or blackmailed to engage in sexual activities within the past year.

“None of these children reported what happened to any formal reporting mechanisms though over half of those children did disclose to friends or caregivers,” the report said.