The Complexity of Human Security in Addressing Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OCSEA) in the Philippines

Abstract

This article explains the phenomenon of Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OCSEA) in the Philippines, which has evolved into complex human security crisis amid the rapid growth of the global digital economy. The effectiveness of the ASEAN Convention Against Trafficking in Persons (ACTIP) in addressing digital-based child sexual exploitation remains questionable. Responding to the dynamics of OCSEA in the Philippines, this study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of ACTIP through a human security lens. This study analyzes various secondary sources through a policy evaluation framework using a qualitative approach and a study design dissected across three main dimensions: spatial, actor, and economic. The findings reveal a mismatch between the analog-territorial design of the ACTIP regime and the digital-transnational nature of OCSEA, indicating a significant governance gap. The failure to address domestic spaces where exploitation occurs without physical movement, as well as to anticipate the transformation of transactions through fintech and cryptocurrency, stems from ACTIP’s reliance on the paradigm of border security. From a human security perspective, structural poverty that drives the normalization of exploitation at the family level, coupled with minimal institutional protection, reflects the state’s failure to ensure freedom from fear and freedom from want.