(PHILIPPINES)
Union of Catholic Asian News (UCA News) [Hong Kong]
June 26, 2026
By Cong B. Corrales
An estimated 500,000 Filipino kids are abused and exploited in a single year, says an International Justice Mission (IJM) report
At 18, Jessie* enrolled in a criminology program at a university in Iligan City, Philippines, this June, driven by a long-held ambition to become a police officer.
That’s an achievement for Jessie, who two years ago survived online sexual exploitation at his home and experienced depression and suicidal tendencies during rehabilitation.
“I will become a police officer to help children who have experienced trauma like me,” he told UCA News.
His journey from victim to aspiring protector began on an ordinary morning when police officers arrived at his family’s modest home in the southern Philippines.
Jessie assumed they were conducting a drugs raid. Instead of tearing the house apart, however, the officers carefully surveyed the cramped room and fixed their attention on him.
Only later did investigators tell Jessie that for more than four months, his own uncle had secretly photographed him, especially while he rested on a sofa after exercising. The uncle sold the images to clients online.
A crisis hidden in homes
Jessie is among thousands of such children in the Philippines, most of them exploited inside their own homes.
Published estimates suggest that some 500,000 Filipino children have been exploited through online sexual abuse and exploitation, much of it occurring within impoverished households seeking additional income.
Jessie’s mother, for example, earned about 3,000 pesos (roughly US$170) a month providing home-service manicures. Investigators say his uncle claimed he was trying to help the family financially.
Research supported by the Safe Online initiative and frequently cited by Save the Children Philippines found that, within a single year, one in five Filipino internet users aged 12 to 17 experienced severe forms of online sexual exploitation or abuse.
Jessie’s case illustrates that as internet access expands amid persisting economic hardship, child exploitation has evolved from a street crime into an online sex trade that can occur in living rooms and bedrooms.
The Christian anti-trafficking organization International Justice Mission estimates that roughly 500,000 Filipino children become victims of online sexual abuse or exploitation each year.
Northern Mindanao, where Jessie lives, has emerged as one of the regions most directly confronting the problem.
Official records show that the regional social welfare department assisted 105 victim-survivors in 2025, including 81 children affected by online abuse or exploitation.
“It is very unfortunate that most of the perpetrators of these crimes against children are related to them,” said Jennifer Sanggoyod of the Iligan City Social Welfare and Development Office.
The burden of rescue
Rescue, Jessie discovered, was only the beginning.
Soon after being removed from his home, he was transferred to a shelter in Malaybalay, about 150 kilometers southeast of Iligan City.
Operated by the International Justice Mission, the facility provides accommodation, counseling, and psychological support for young survivors.
But unexpected separation from family brought a new set of struggles for Jessie.
“When I heard that I was going to be sent to a shelter, I got really depressed because I thought, ‘Why should I be punished when I didn’t do anything wrong?’” he recalled.
The isolation was overwhelming.
“Every night, I cried and thought of ending it all. I thought I might be an old man by the time I get out of this shelter.”
Like many survivors, Jessie also had to relive his trauma repeatedly as legal proceedings moved forward.
He said he was “afraid and ashamed” that people would misunderstand his situation and see him as someone who had willingly “sold his own body.”
Meanwhile, police submitted forensic evidence from electronic devices seized from his uncle, strengthening the prosecution’s case.
The legal process continues after the uncle filed an appeal.
“Until he is convicted, there is no justice,” Jessie said. “If he goes free, he might do it again to other children.”
Fighting a growing digital crime
Authorities acknowledge that online child exploitation presents unique challenges because technology allows abuse to spread rapidly across borders and platforms.
The government has launched several initiatives to fight Online Sex Abuse and the Exploitation of Children (OSAE).
The Justice Department also established Special Justice Zones for OSAEC cases to expedite investigations and prosecutions.
Merlynn Barola-Uy, the regional prosecutor in Northern Mindanao, said conviction rates are improving.
In 2024, prosecutors secured 40 convictions in online child exploitation cases. In 2025, that figure rose to 49.
“Our cases are so well documented that the accused end up choosing a plea bargain rather than risk going to trial and ending up with a life sentence,” Uy told UCA News.
For Jessie, moving forward means ensuring that no other child has to endure what he suffered behind closed doors.
According to Jessie, the criminology graduation program will familiarize him with the laws and investigative methods, which in turn will help him protect vulnerable children and bring offenders to justice.
“Children must be protected. To those who were abused, do not lose hope.”
*Jessie is not his real name