Zamboanga City Intensifies Fight against Online Child Sexual Exploitation, Trains First Responders

ZAMBOANGA CITY, PHILIPPINES – At least 14 people have been arrested in Zamboanga Peninsula for crimes linked to online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) since 2015, according to authorities. The fight against OSAEC in the region shows no signs of slowing down.

From November 23 to 28, 2025, first responders gathered in Zamboanga City to undergo training so they can better investigate cases, conduct more rescue operations and get communities to report OSAEC crimes.

“We remain steadfast in supporting investigations, improving reporting mechanisms, and enhancing our partnerships with national agencies, NGOs (non-government organizations), and barangay councils,” Zamboanga City Mayor Khymer Adan Olaso said in a statement read by Executive Assistant, Ret. Gen. Edwin de Ocampo, during the training’s opening ceremony at Grand Astoria Hotel.

Since 2015, the Philippine National Police’s Women and Children Protection Center–Mindanao Field Unit (PNP WCPC-MFU) has carried out 18 operations, which led to the rescue of 53 victims and the arrest of 14 suspected traffickers across the Zamboanga Peninsula region.

The Zamboanga City Government passed an anti-OSAEC ordinance in March this year, showing its commitment to create, fund and implement programs to prevent and eradicate OSAEC crimes, often tagged in communities as “show,” “cybersex,” “chat-chat,” among other names.

Over 40 frontliners, including law enforcers and social workers, joined the Multi-Disciplinary Team Basic Internet Crimes Against Children (MDT-BICAC) training organized by International Justice Mission (IJM), in partnership with the City Government.

The training provided sessions on the Philippine legal framework, basic investigative strategies, operational planning, trauma-informed care for survivors, community awareness-building, and media engagement, among other topics.

“OSAEC is complex, borderless, and often hidden,” Police Col. Mario Baquiran Jr., chief of PNP WCPC-MFU, said during the opening ceremony. “But through capacity-building efforts like this, we strengthen our ability to identify, investigate, and respond effectively to cases.”

OSAEC, specifically the trafficking of children for livestreamed child sexual abuse, is a widespread crime in the Philippines. IJM’s Scale of Harm prevalence study estimated that nearly 500,000 Filipino children were victims of this crime in 2022 alone.

Local traffickers, often parents or relatives of victims, livestream the abuse in exchange for payments from online offenders abroad. The study highlighted underreporting, noting that in some communities the crime has become disturbingly normalized.

IJM Philippines’ Community Engagement Director Evelyn Pingul emphasized the real harm inflicted on OSAEC victims. “This is not just a ‘show’ or ‘online content’—it’s real abuse with lifelong consequences. Each of us has a moral and civic responsibility to speak up and act when we see it happening in our communities.”

According to IJM data, over 270 individuals have been convicted of involvement in OSAEC, and more than 1,600 victims and at-risk children have been rescued across the Philippines since 2011.

Multiple laws in the Philippines penalize crimes related to OSAEC, including:

• Republic Act No. 11930, or the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) Act
• Republic Act No. 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act
• Republic Act No. 9208, as amended by R.A. 10364 and R.A. 11862, collectively known as Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act.

The MDT-BICAC training aims to foster stronger collaboration among prosecutors, social workers, and law enforcement to avoid fragmented investigations, inconsistent case handling, and wasted resources.

“The presence of every government leader, every officer and enforcer of the law, prosecutors and aftercare service providers here today sends a clear and unconditional message that: Zamboanga is a city that protects its young and our collective effort and commitment to see it done is non-negotiable,” said Zamboanga City Regional Trial Court Branch 12 Presiding Judge Gregorio V. dela Pena III, who is also the Lead Convenor of the Zamboanga City Justice Zone.

IJM works closely with authorities to ensure offenders are held accountable and survivors receive protection and support. To strengthen the justice system’s response to OSAEC and trafficking, IJM provides specialized training for law enforcement, prosecutors, and social workers.

On September 16, 2024, IJM, in partnership with the Department of Justice – Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (DOJ-IACAT) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), hosted the national summit “Iisang Nasyon, Iisang Aksyon: Tapusin ang OSAEC Ngayon.” The event marked the launch of the “Bayang Walang Bahid ng OSAEC” campaign designed to break the culture of silence and empower communities to report child exploitation.

To report suspected OSAEC cases in the Zamboanga Peninsula, one may contact the WCPC-MFU at 0917-180-6037. For nationwide assistance, you may also reach the PNP-WCPC hotlines at 0966-725-5961 (Globe) and 0920-907-1717 (Smart).