Text by Charmaine Lingdas
Photos by Sarah Hazel Moces Pulumbarit
The Philippines has become ground zero for one of the gravest threats facing children today: online child sexual abuse and exploitation (OCSAE).
This was expressed by UP Manila–Philippine General Hospital, Dr. Bernadette J. Madrid, a pediatrician, child protection advocate, and Ramon Magsaysay Awardee during a recent lecture at the Philippine General Hospital.
Citing a global study by ChildLight, an independent institute for child safety based at the University of Edinburgh, it was found that there were 300 million victims of online child sexual abuse and exploitation, Dr. Madrid that this crisis is “maybe even worse than COVID if we do not do something now.”
“The latest prevalence study published in ‘The Lancet’ by Professor Deborah Fry and colleagues showed that one in eight children worldwide faced non-consensual image offenses and online solicitation. And do you know who was at the top? It was the Philippines—a sad story for our country,” Dr. Madrid revealed in her Jose Albert Memorial Lecture during the 110th Anniversary of the UP Manila–Philippine General Hospital Department of Pediatrics on Sept. 10, 2025.
She shared that in 2024 alone, the CyberTipline, a reporting system under the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) for the online exploitation of children, received 20.5 million reports of online child sexual abuse and exploitation images and videos. Of these, 1.7 million involved Filipino children. Globally, India recorded the highest number of reports, with the Philippines in second place.
“When measured per 1,000 population, the Philippines ranked number one in the world and that is just for 2024,” she added.
How Technology Fuels Abuse
Dr. Madrid defined online child sexual abuse and exploitation (OCSAE) as situations where digital, internet, and communication technologies are involved at any point in the duration of abuse. It can occur entirely online or through a combination of online and in-person interactions. In some cases, it may begin online and later escalate into face-to-face abuse.
“The internet has affected the dynamics and nature of sexual abuse by making the production of child sexual abuse images a more frequent component of conventional sexual abuse by family and acquaintance offenders. Whereas before, everything happened in secret, now they have found out that they can make money out of taking images and videos of the abuse that happens, unfortunately, often at home,” she pointed out.
To simplify the many overlapping definitions, ChildLight proposed five categories of OCSAE: online solicitation, non-consensual taking and sharing of sexual abuse images and videos, exposure to unwanted sexual content, online sexual exploitation, and sexual extortion.
Dr. Madrid illustrated each kind, stressing, “The type where the Philippines is the epicenter is the live streaming of child sexual abuse and exploitation,” often facilitated by family members. In fact, 83% of identified facilitators are parents or relatives. There are even reports of Filipino mothers selling their own children.
A new threat has also emerged: artificial intelligence-generated sexual images, which surged by more than 1,300% between 2023 and 2024. Apps can now generate nude images of anyone, and these have already driven some teens to deep distress, with reports of suicidal thoughts linked to their use.
The tragedy, she emphasized, is that exploitation is often normalized at home and rationalized by poverty. Disturbingly, Supreme Court cases have involved victims as young as three to five years old.
Risk Factors for Victimization
Dr. Madrid explained that certain conditions place children and teens at higher risk for online victimization: risky online behavior, such as frequent use of chat rooms or gaming platforms, psychological or social difficulties, including loneliness, isolation, or conflict at home, prior adverse experiences, such as early exposure to abuse or trauma, early offline sexual abuse before the age of 12 (the strongest predictor of online sexual victimization), demographic factors, including being cisgender female, non-heterosexual, and having parents with less than a high school education, and stressful life events, poverty, or family instability.
Red Flags Parents and Adults Should Watch Out For
Since children rarely disclose abuse directly, Dr. Madrid noted that most cases are discovered incidentally, when offenders abroad are caught and authorities find images of Filipino children on their devices.
To help identify potential victims, she urged parents, teachers, and health professionals to watch for warning signs such as: secretive behavior with phones or devices; refusal to let others see their screens, sudden possession of unexplained money or gifts, spending more time alone, especially in bedrooms, changes in mood, declining school performance or refusal to attend school, increased sexualized behavior, and substance use or risky behavior.
The Impact on Children
Even when the abuse is purely online, the effects are devastating. Victims suffer anxiety, depression, social withdrawal, and distorted self-perception. The humiliation is magnified by the permanence of digital images: “Every time someone views those pictures, the child is abused again,” Dr. Madrid explained.
Victims often fear going out in public, believing they will be recognized as “that girl” or “that boy.” The permanence of these pictures in the public domain compounds their shame and humiliation, deepening the trauma.
“If the case is investigated, and then you have the police, lawyers, and judge all looking at these videos and pictures, the child feels humiliated by the whole process,” she added.
Children also face what she called a “double silencing.” Because they appear to smile in photos or comply online, others assume they were willing participants. In truth, shame, fear of losing internet access, or loyalty to family members prevents most children from reporting.
Most of all, what they are afraid of is being banned from using the internet. Because for them, the internet is their life. “Some even say, ‘My phone is my life.’ So, if they lose access to their phone, they’d rather not report.”#
For more information, read: https://www.upm.edu.ph/cpt_news/trusted-individuals-not-criminal-syndicates-behind-online-child-abuse-in-the-philippines/
