Mindanao Times column urges safer reporting as online child exploitation persists

An opinion piece published by Mindanao Times argues that online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) continues largely unreported, and that Davao City's new local ordinance against it will succeed only if children in even remote barangays can report abuse safely and confidentially.

The piece opens with the account of a seven-year-old girl who, according to a caseworker from the women and children support group Talikala, can no longer remember when the online exploitation inside her home began. The writer argues that such cases are not isolated and that the crime thrives in secrecy, often livestreamed on encrypted platforms, paid for through digital wallets and hidden within households.

The column draws on a presentation by Jerome Bactol of the International Justice Mission (IJM) at a recent conference for journalists from Cebu and Mindanao. Bactol discussed an assessment of OSAEC reporting and referral pathways in the Philippines, which found that public awareness of the issue lacks legal grounding, that fear, shame and mistrust discourage reporting, and that frontline workers are motivated but hampered by systemic and operational bottlenecks.

The writer cites national estimates suggesting that as many as two in ten internet-using Filipino youth have experienced online sexual abuse or exploitation, while fewer than three percent report it to authorities.

Locally, the piece notes that Davao City recently enacted City Ordinance No. 0194-26 (Series of 2026), which penalizes OSAEC and child sexual abuse or exploitation materials, and requires local prevention programs and support services for victims. It also mentions efforts to institutionalize the Parent Effectiveness Service under the committee of Councilor Richlyn Justol-Baguilod, aimed at helping parents and barangay officials recognize grooming, manage children's digital exposure and step in early.

The writer argues that the real test of the ordinance is whether trauma-informed reporting mechanisms reach the grassroots and whether child protection personnel have the resources to trace digital evidence. Until speaking up becomes safer and simpler than staying silent, the column contends, children will continue to bear the cost.