CARING ABOUT CARING:

A Conversation for Aftercare Providers for Child Survivors of Online Sexual

Exploitation

I. Background of the Activity

A. Title: CARING ABOUT CARING: A Conversation for Aftercare Providers for Child
Survivors of Online Sexual Exploitation of Children

B. Proponent: National Aftercare Development, International Justice Mission in

partnership with Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking

C. Target Audience: Member agencies of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking,

local government units especially with high incidence of Online Sexual Exploitation of
Children (OSEC), league of provincial governors, league of city mayors, association
of social workers, association of social welfare and development agencies.

II. Rationale

Online sexual exploitation of children is a rampantly growing global crime, particularly

in the Philippines which is known as the “global hotspot” of OSEC cases (IJM, 2020, p. 60)
and ranked amongst the top ten producers of child sexual exploitation material (CSEM)
(UNICEF, 2017a). Online sexual exploitation of children refers to a broad category of online
sex offending that includes, but is not limited to, possession or distribution of previously
produced CSEM, enticing children to “self-produce” new CSEM, and grooming children for
later contact abuse. The unique nature and demographics of victims and perpetrators of this
form of abuse which include the very young age of children victimized, the overwhelming
number of families directly involved in the crime, the acceptance and tolerance of this form of
exploitation in communities involved, as well as the high-risk for potential re-victimization of
victims, present challenges in aftercare support, particularly in reintegration of survivors. In
addressing the issues of online child sexual abuse, the preventive, protective, and
supportive interventions for children should be extended to families and communities who
are the key players in perpetrating this crime (ASEAN, 2016; UNICEF East Asian Pacific
Regional Office [EAPRO], 2016; United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime [UNODC], 2015).
This holistic approach is fundamental to ensuring survivor’s restoration, sustained recovery,
and successful reintegration.

With this, the International Justice Mission, through the National Aftercare
Development, commissioned the conduct of literature reviews and research to address the
issues and gaps in the Philippine case management system and reintegration of survivors of
online sexual exploitation.

A. Best Practices in Case Management and Their Suitability for Online Sexual
Exploitation of Children in the Philippines

The rise in the number of referrals for OSEC has correspondingly increased the
burden on child protective systems around the world to respond effectively to the unique
needs of children. Given both the global proliferation of OSEC and the various enabling
factors at play, it is likely that the Philippine child protective system is bearing a large
majority of the global caseload for this type of abuse. This situation demands attention and
due consideration of the best ways in which victim-survivors of OSEC might be assisted to
recover from this insidious crime.
The aim of this literature review is to ascertain the best practices in case
management and their suitability to support and enhance the case management process for
OSEC survivors in the Philippines. This study involved a systematic scan of nine (9)
academic databases, including Philippine E-journal, Philippine E-library, UP Diliman, and
Child Abuse & Neglect Digital Library.

Findings showed that the main systemic gaps which are inhibiting effective case
management from occurring include: 1) Inconsistent implementation of standards; 2) Under-
resourcing and under-staffing of social welfare; 3) Absence of evidence-based trauma
assessment instruments; 4) Low availability of Psychologists; 5) Residential facilities not
conducive to individualized care; and 6) Filing systems vary greatly between DSWD, LGU’s,
and regions. This study highlighted the importance of trauma informed care in every
component of the case management process and the quality, timeliness, and consistency of
the assessment process as a key moderator of the effectiveness of interventions conducted
during the recovery stage.

The Philippines Government is in an opportune position to adopt best practices in

case management for OSEC victim-survivors. These include a high level of collaboration
between NGO’s, law enforcement and legal actors in addressing OSEC, demonstrated
investment to address OSEC from the justice system and child protection system and
growing political will to position the Philippines as a global leader in the fight against OSEC
(IJM, 2020).

B. Psychosocial Impacts of Child Sexual Abuse and Their Similarity to Online Sexual
Exploitation of Children

This review provides a comparative examination of existing research which has

studied the impacts of CSA and online child sexual exploitation. To conduct the literature
review, a comprehensive search of 9 databases was undertaken using key words and
synonyms for “impacts”, “online sexual exploitation” and “child sexual abuse”.

This review provides evidence to suggest that there is significant similarity between
the impacts of CSA and the impacts of OSEC. These include but are not limited to: sexual;
revictimization; self-destructive behavior; anxiety and depression; relationship
difficulties/avoidance and; shame. Conversely, the available literature also provides sufficient
evidence to indicate that there are a range of distinct impacts of OSEC which do not co-
occur among victim-survivors of CSA, such as increase levels of deception; increased
accessibility with increased control; self-objectification permanency of abuse materials;
reach of images and deceit about the abuser.

The implications of this review are firstly, that increased investment in empirical
research which examines the impacts specifically of OSEC upon victim-survivors is greatly
needed. Secondly, this review has implications for practitioners working directly with
survivors and those involved in intervention planning. Specifically, this review indicates that
interventions with victim-survivors of OSEC must incorporate strategies to pro-actively
address the availability of images on the internet (Hanson E., 2017). Furthermore, given the
higher levels of deception and self-objectification involved in OSEC, it is likely that
interventions which specifically address cognitive distortions and actively target shame will
be more effective than other interventions (Hanson E., 2017).

C. A Study on Online Sexual Exploitation of Children for Aftercare Reintegration

This study examined the environmental context – individual, family, community, and
societal level – of the survivors to: (1) provide a comprehensive understanding of the risk
factors that facilitate online sexual exploitation of children in individuals (victims), families,
and communities impacted by this form of abuse, and determine gaps in the system that
affect the effective delivery of interventions and support services for survivors; (2) determine
the factors that contribute to successful reintegration of survivors including the interventions
and support services that need to be provided at each level of system. And lastly, (3) identify
alternative care options for survivors who cannot be reintegrated to their family and
community.

Findings determined the following key risk factors that facilitate online sexual
exploitation of children in individuals (victims), families, and communities involved in this
form of abuse. Common themes that emerged are: 1) Easy money perception of
livestreamed child sexual exploitation and poverty; 2) Lack of knowledge and awareness
about online sexual exploitation of children; 3) Access to internet and technology and
English language proficiency; 4) Neglect of parental role and responsibilities of primary
caregiver; and 5) Survivor’s perception about victimization. Further, gaps in the system that
affect the effective delivery of interventions and support services for survivors were
determined such as lack of comprehensive assessment, lack of community-based
intervention, lack of community-based monitoring post-reintegration, and lack of capacity of
local government to intervene. All of these were attributed to the insufficient number of LGU
social workers, lack of capacity, knowledge, and skills of service providers to properly
conduct assessment and case management, and lack of funds and resources allocated to
implement and sustain reintegration programs and services. Results also highlighted the
following factors that support the successful reintegration of survivors: 1) Comprehensive
pre-reintegration assessment and planning; 2) Availability and delivery of comprehensive
community-based intervention; 3) Continuous follow-up and monitoring; 4) Efficient
mechanism on prevention and reporting of online sexual exploitation of children; and
5) Interagency coordination. Lastly, the findings emphasized the importance of providing
separate and tailored interventions for the individual, family, and community to attain
restoration and ensure the successful reintegration of survivors.

This study calls for the need to: 1) Increase capacity-building opportunities for non-
government and government services providers; 2) Ensure comprehensive and holistic
delivery of community-based interventions and services to survivors and their families;
3) Ensure that regular monitoring and evaluation of reintegrated survivors and their families
are implemented; 4) Strengthen advocacy efforts and awareness-building about online
sexual exploitation of children in communities; 5) Allocate more funds to implement and
sustain reintegration programs and increase the number of LGU social workers; and
6) Strengthen and expand the foster care and independent living program. Future studies
may delve into the unique needs of OSEC survivors as well as identify the barriers and
challenges they encounter in accessing the support services they need to attain restoration
and ensure successful reintegration. Additionally, an in-depth analysis on the challenges
affecting the service providers’ capacity to provide services and interventions to children
survivors of online sexual exploitation including recommendations to address these gaps
and barriers may also be conducted.

III. Goal and Objectives of the Activity

The goal of this activity is to launch the findings of the Aftercare literature reviews
and research to the target audience.

Specifically, this activity aims to:

1. Convene government partners and other stakeholders who will benefit from the
findings and recommendations of the literature reviews and research.
2. Organize a core group composed of government partners who will sit down and
strategize in addressing the challenges in the aftercare.
3. Recommend changes in the policies in DSWD through RIACAT.
4. Recommend changes in LGU to improve their services to OSEC survivors.