interactions usually take place on online dating websites, public chat rooms, social
networking sites, or adult webcam sites. Depending on the type of performance,
operators can earn between USD 67 and USD 670 per session. The percentage of this
money given to the child is considerably little, if any at all.
The harms experienced by children involved in these operations are numerous and
their implications serious. First and foremost, operators of child pornography in the
Philippines are oftentimes the parents of the young children, a situation that leads
to abusive dynamics and confusing atmospheres in their homes. In order to “groom”
them for performances, children are often made to watch various pornographic
videos, which, as a psychologist from a women and children’s crisis center in Cebu
City says, “leads to serious psychological disorders.” In 2013, the Dutch NGO Terre
des Hommes said the children “reported feeling dirty, ashamed and embarrassed
both during and after webcam sex performances.” They also expressed fear at the
prospect of the images being stored in the Internet forever. The same report found
that the children involved in the performances suffered from trauma, psychosocial
stress, a feeling of betrayal, social stigmatisation, and a sense of powerlessness.
The grim and growing situation cannot be viewed in a vacuum. Poverty incidence in
the Philippines during the first half of 2013 was at 24.9%, and has shown to be one
of the biggest contributing factors to the growing child sex industry. Parents often
look the other way, or else are actively involved in their children’s entrance into the
online sex industry. In fact, the Terre des Hommes report finds that parents “often
appeal to the child’s sense of duty to help the family…generate money to pay for
bills, food, and school-related expenses.” All too often, children are not fully aware
that they are being victimised, and worse, parents are unaware of the trauma their
children endure because of their involvement in cyber-pornography.
All too often,
children
are not
fully aware
that they
are being
victimised...
Seeking Justice
On their own, there is little chance for minors coerced into child pornography to
access justice. However, the government, law enforcement agencies, and several
NGOs have been working hard to curb these crimes. There are several existing laws
that can be used for legal recourse. These include the Anti-Child Pornography Act,
the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, and the Special Protection of Children against
Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act. According to a lawyer working
on the issue, many cases are filed at once under different laws, so that if one is
dismissed, other laws can still be applied. However, there are several barriers that
make this fight for justice exceedingly difficult.
<End Violence: Women’s Rights and Safety Online>
31
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