IN my conversations with law enforcement agencies, I came to know about one of the most gut-wrenching crimes — online sexual abuse and exploitation of children, or OSAEC.

The Unicef and Council for Welfare of Children reported that 44 percent of children ages 13 to 18 experienced online violence, while one-fourth were victims of online sexual abuse. Just last April 2024 in Misamis Oriental, a 27-year-old mother was caught by the NBI peddling her three children, including a toddler, for online sexual abuse to foreigners. Upon investigation, it was found that the offender had been engaging her children in online sex trafficking for several years now.