OSEC: The hidden crime.
Access to the internet has brought increased opportunities for children around the world but has adversely also introduced new risks and dangers. New means have allowed child sex offenders who would traditionally prey on victims in person, able to abuse victims anywhere using the internet. This new method of exploitation provides offenders access to minors from home, work, or anywhere in which their devices can access the internet and the nature of this crime makes it shielded from law enforcement or detection. The Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC) is generated by the production for purpose of online publication or transmission of visual depictions of sexual abuse or exploitation of a minor for a third party who is not in the physical presence of the victim in exchange for compensation. OSEC is unique in comparison to other forms of internet crimes against children as it has a commercial element with evidence able to confirm that this commercial element was present in 83% of all cases. OSEC cases are difficult to track down due to the live-streaming nature of the crime as it does not by nature result in a stored image or video file which makes it difficult to be picked up by detection methods. According to global law enforcement data, the Philippines was the largest known source of OSEC cases and most cases are seen to be family-based crimes in which the cause perpetrator was either a biological parent or relative, highlighting that oftentimes these crimes are not of complex nature but simply occurring within the comfort of the traffickers home. Furthermore, this serious crime is not even occurring in the dark web but in plain sight on the surface of the web where most traffickers communicate and exchange materials with customers. Cases of OSEC also entail a transnational component in which many of the customers of this crime are found to be from western countries such as the United States, Sweden, and Australia whilst traffickers are found to be from the Philippines, with 64% of cases initiated by referrals from international law enforcement agencies.
One organisation which is tackling such crimes is IJM Philippines who have been partnering with the Philippine law enforcement and justice system officials for over 21 years. They work to hold criminals accountable for exploiting children in order to deter other traffickers from abusing children and continue to help build communities in which all children can be expected to be safe and protected. Since they started they have convicted 146 criminals and arrested 207 suspected criminals, as well as restoring 271 survivors of this crime. Aftercare is a large component of what IJM offers victims after they have been rescued, by delivering services that improve personal well-being which thus reduce the risk of re-victimization and enhance engagement with the public justice system. The typology of OSEC victims also makes it challenging during the trial process both in terms of safeguarding the wellbeing of survivors and ensuring successful trial outcomes, IJM has come up with solutions to this such as plea agreements, video in-depth interviewing, and specialised training.
Reliable data on these crimes is lacking which makes it impossible to study and understand the crime properly and OSEC is still a relatively new and evolving crime making it extremely complex, hidden, and difficult to address. Therefore, efforts such as the one of IJM are extremely important in order to safeguard and protect children who are vulnerable and targeted due to widespread internet access but insufficiently resourced justice systems.
To support IJM or learn more about their work please go to this link: https://osec.ijm.org/the-problem-osec/
Written by Iona Steger. Picture by IJM.
Source: https://osec.ijm.org/resources/.