Through the Nordic Liaison Office (NLO) in Manila, the five Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden are working closely together with the Philippine government to protect children from online sexual abuse and trafficking and to bring perpetrators in both the Philippines and abroad to justice.
The Philippines is a perfect breeding ground for online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC). 96% of 12- to 17-year-olds are online, and the country has a young population, English language proficiency is high, the poverty rate is around 20%, and digital technologies around social interactions and financial transactions have advanced.
The Philippines ranks second highest on child sexual abuse cyber tip reports, with almost 2.8 million reports based on the US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) data.
Another study from the non-governmental organization International Justice Mission estimates that one out of 100 Filipino children were trafficked to produce new materials in 2022. This research revealed that online sex abuse is also a family-based crime. The average age of victims is 11 years old, and the youngest victim is a three-month-old baby.
Most children who are victims of online sexual abuse are silent due to the shame and stigma of being sexually and psychologically abused by family and close relatives. The numbers are high, yet many cases remain undetected and underreported.
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