Canadian and Philippines Police Officers are Joining Forces to Combat Online Child Exploitation
Online Sexual Exploitation of Children
In November 2024, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) hosted the Annual Provincial ICE Strategy Multidisciplinary Training Workshop. This workshop brought together law-enforcement officials, legal professionals, and academics from across Canada to discuss issues related to internet child exploitation (ICE). IJM was invited to present at the conference and join participants in accessing the latest technological advancements, training resources, and information for effectively investigating and prosecuting child sexual exploitation cases.
Supporting Canadian Law Enforcement in the Fight Against OSEC
IJM has been working on cases of online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC) in the Philippines since 2016. Given the complexity and international scope of the crime, IJM launched the Center to End OSEC in 2020 to centralize best practices for prevention, accountability and response. Over the years, IJM has seen steady improvement in the Philippine justice system’s response to OSEC, and increased collaboration with policy and law enforcement officials across Australia, Europe, North America, and West Africa.
As of November 2024, IJM has supported 448 law enforcement operations, the rescue/removal of 1,422 Victims (42% under age 12), the arrest of 431 suspects, and the conviction of 255 perpetrators.
IJM was asked to share its international perspective and expertise to support the work of Canada’s provincial and federal ICE officers. Investigations have proven that Canadian offenders often have collections of child abuse material that include children in Canada and outside of Canada. To identify, rescue and support justice for all the children involved, investigations require collaboration between Canadian and international law enforcement. Bill Maddox, Consultant for Capacity Building at IJM’s Center to End OSEC, detailed the cross-border nature of the crime and practical ways the OPP and RCMP can collaborate with Philippines law enforcement to solve OSEC cases.
The conference highlighted the accuracy and urgency with which Canadian law enforcement must work to identify and protect children from abuse. Sadly, the average age of OSEC victims is 11, with victims as young as two months old. Those demanding this abuse are primarily males aged 40-72, directing the sexual abuse of children from their homes in the US, UK, Australia and Canada. Those supplying these perpetrators with sexual content are often relatives of the victims who exploit for financial gain. The abuse can last for years if not discovered.
Canada's Critical Role in Addressing Online Sexual Exploitation
The role of Canadian law enforcement cannot be understated: Canada ranks fourth for suspicious financial transactions to the Philippines flagged for child sexual abuse. Between 2020 and 2022, there were 6,880 OSEC-related remittances from Canada, amounting to nearly CAD 900,000 – which represents thousands of children abused by Canadians. In 2023, IJM partnered with the University of Nottingham Right Lab to conduct a study estimating the prevalence of OSEC in the Philippines called the Scale of Harm. The findings revealed that nearly a quarter million adult Filipinos trafficked children to produce new sexual exploitation material in 2022, and over 500,000 children were victims of this abuse.
The ICE Strategy team are professional, trauma-informed and passionate about child protection. In support of their existing work, IJM shared three opportunities for growth:
- Follow the money: Streamline collaboration between the Philippines Anti-Money Laundering Council, Canada’s FINTRAC, and Canadian law enforcement to identify offenders paying for child sexual abuse materials.
- Targeted investigations: IJM shared best practices from investigations in the Philippines, providing Canadian law enforcement with new ideas and ways to gather intel on Canadian offenders and their communications with traffickers in other countries.
- Appropriate accountability: Identify ways to hold demand-side offenders responsible for causing sexual abuse. Often, Canadian offenders will be sentenced with the possession of child sexual abuse material, when in reality they have been directing the abuse in real time and paying for the harm of a child. Expanded charges may result in higher sentencing, deterring offenders from continuing to abuse children in this way.
The OPP and RCMP are working intentionally and proactively to protect children in Canada and around the world from Canadian offenders. As this crime grows, so does their resolve and the need for international collaboration. IJM was honoured to support the work of Canadian law enforcement and looks forward to continued collaboration in the new year.
For more information visit www.ijm.ca/scaleofharm
For law enforcement looking to connect further with IJM, please contact Bill Maddox, bmaddox@ijm.org.
