Philippines: Authorities look to tackle online child sex abuse

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippines has become the epicentre of online child sexual abuse. Clients, mostly Westerners, pay just a few dozen dollars to watch the live rape of a child. The perpetrators of these crimes are often family members – acts of incest monetised by extremely poor Filipinos, who can earn the equivalent of a year’s salary in just a few days. This phenomenon, marked by extreme violence, is fuelled by the country’s endemic poverty and easy internet access. The anonymity of online streaming also makes investigations more difficult. While authorities regularly arrest families that live-stream the rape of their children, it is far from enough to end the sexual exploitation of children online. William de Tamaris and Justin McCurry report.