Module 2 – Impact of

OSEC to
victims/survivors
 Session 01: :

UNDERSTANDING TRAUMA AND ITS IMPACT

ON THE OSAEC EXPERIENCE OF THE
VICTIM/SURVIVOR
The Victim-Survivor

Each child victim experiences sexual abuse differently

and is affected (whether physically, emotionally,
psychologically or behaviorally) differently as well, depending
on several factors that include age, type of online sexual abuse
experienced, relationship to perpetrator/ facilitator, and
perception of the online sexual abuse and exploitation
activities.

National Study on Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children in the Philippines (UNICEF Philippines, 2020)
What is Trauma?
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), trauma is an
emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape or natural
disaster.
However, a person may experience trauma as a response to any event
they physically or emotionally find threatening or harmful. A traumatized
person can feel a range of emotions both immediately after the event and in
the long term. They may feel overwhelmed, helpless, shocked or have difficulty
processing their experiences. Trauma can also cause physical symptoms.
Trauma can have a long-term effect on the person’s well-being. If
symptoms persist and do not decrease in severity, it can indicate that the
trauma has developed into a mental health disorder called post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD).
 Categories of Trauma
Category Definition Trauma Type
Acute Single, isolated incident  Accident
 Natural disaster
 Single act of violence or terrorism
 Sudden unexpected loss
Chronic Traumatic experience that is repeated and  Prolonged family or community violence
prolonged.  Long-term illness
 Chronic bullying
 Chronic poverty and related stressors
 Exposure to war, torture or forced displacement

Complex Exposure to multiple traumatic events from an  Physical, emotional and sexual abuse within caregiving
early age, often within the caregiving system or systems
without adequate adult support that has short  On-going neglect by caregivers
and long term effects in many areas.  Witnessing domestic violence
 Other forms of chronic violence without support

Historical and Racial Collective and cumulative trauma experienced  Systematic oppression of particular groups across
by a group across generations that are still generations
suffering the effects and current experiences of  Racism
race-based trauma.  Discrimination
 harassment
Symptoms of Trauma
The symptoms of trauma range from mild to severe. Many factors
determine how a traumatic event affects a person, including:
• their characteristics
• the presence of other mental health conditions
• previous exposure to traumatic events
• the type and characteristics of the event or events
• their background and approach to handling emotions
Emotional and Psychological Responses
A person who has experienced
trauma may feel: • Numbness
• Denial • Guilt
• Anger • Hopelessness
• Fear • Irritability
• Sadness • Difficulty concentrating
• Shame
• Confusion They may have emotional outburst, find it difficult to cope
• Anxiety with how they feel or withdraw from others. Flashbacks,
where a person relives the traumatic event in their mind
• Depression are common, as are nightmares.
Physical Responses
Along with an emotional reaction, trauma can cause physical
symptoms, such as:
• Headaches
• Digestive systems Sometimes, a person will also experience hyper-
arousal, or when someone feels as though they are in
• Fatigue constant state of alertness. This may make it difficult
to sleep. Individuals may also go on to develop other
• Racing heart mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety and
substance abuse problems.
• Sweating
• Feeling jumpy
Potential Causes of Trauma
• Bullying
• Harassment
• Physical, psychological or sexual abuse
• Sexual assault
• Traffic collisions Traumatic events can be isolated or repeated, on-
• Childbirth going events. A person can also experience trauma
after witnessing something traumatic happening to
• Life threatening illnesses someone else. People have different reactions to
traumatic events. For example, those who live through
• Sudden loss of a loved one
the same natural disaster can respond very differently
• Being attacked despite experiencing the same event.
• Being kidnapped
• Acts of terrorism
• Natural disasters
• War
The Impact of OSAEC Experience to the

Child Victim

Factors such as the type of online sexual abuse and exploitation, the
child’s age, relationships with the perpetrator/facilitator, and their view
of OSAEC activities need to be considered in understanding the
impact of the abuse on the child.

National Study on Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children in the Philippines (UNICEF Philippines, 2020)
The Impact of OSAEC Experience to the

Child Victim

• Impact of Rescue

• Impact of Investigation

• Impact of Living in the Shelter

• Impact on the Child Victim’s Sense of Safety

National Study on Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children in the Philippines (UNICEF Philippines, 2020)
Session 2: How OSEC survivors
view about their exploitation
and its suggested intervention
for protecting children against
OSEC
Perceptions on OSEC
• Many parents and children are not aware that engaging in OSEC is a
crime
• “No touch, no harm”
• Children do not know how to get themselves out of the situation
• Dysfunctional families will result
Myths on OSEC
Myth 1 – OSEC ONLY INVOLVES Myth 2 – OSEC DOES NOT
STANDING NAKED IN FRONT OF A
CAMERA
HARM CHILDREN
Truth: OSEC does not only involve Truth: OSEC harms children and
standing naked in front of a camera one of them is the physical
rather:
• Children are being molested and sexually abused by
harm and this includes:
adults • death of children
• Children having sex with each other • extreme physical pain (inserting sex toys
• Children performing oral sex on an adolescent boy or other things i.e. bolo, drops of melted
• Children made to use sex objects to portray sex acts candle)
• Children dancing naked
• Physical capacity of the child to engage in
• Children made to masturbate
• Children made to engage in bestiality
sex
Myths on OSEC
Myth 3 – ONLY GIRLS ARE VICTIMS OF Myth 4 - If a child consents to sex, it’s
OSEC not unlawful.

Truth: Boys are just as vulnerable to Truth: The Philippine law provides that
grooming and online sexual abuse and consent of a child is irrelevant.
the indicators for identifying them are
the same.
Effects of CSEC and OSEC
Child sexual abuse and exploitation negatively affects every
aspect of a child’s life. Child sexual abuse and exploitation are proven to
have an effect on:
• Physical and mental health and well-being
• Education and future employment prospects
• Family relationships If not detected early, child sexual abuse can have long
• Friendships term effects. In some circumstances, these effects may
remain until the child becomes an adult, affecting his
• Relationship with their own children or her relationships. Likewise, children abused end up
having difficulty fitting in the society and may become
offenders themselves. This is why it is very important
to report cases of abuse and exploitation in order to
help victim-survivors be provided with healing care,
medical attention and justice.
Among the impacts of abuse are psychological, physiological, cognitive, interpersonal,
behavioural, economic and social (Miler et al., 2007; ECPAT international, 2008; Stairway
Foundation, Inc., n.d.):

1. Psychological effects - Children who have been abused or exploited are likely
to experience psychological problems. For instance, they are likely to experience
depression, which involves prolonged feelings of sadness and/or a loss of
interest in activities once enjoyed (Ramiro, et al, 2018; UNESCAP, 2001).
Children who have been sexually abused and exploited are also five times more
likely to attempt suicide than those who have not. Other psychological effects
that they may experience include:
• Low self-esteem
• Feelings of guilt and shame
• Fear, anxiety, nightmares
• Eating disorders
• Substance abuse disorders (alcoholism, drug addiction)
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Self-harm
2. Physiological effects - The sexual abuse and exploitation of a young
person may lead to pregnancy. During such delicate pregnancy of a
young woman, she may experience reproductive health problems that
may lead to death. According to the World Health Organization, these
complications are one of the leading causes of mortality among 15-19-
year-old girls all over the world who experience abuse. In addition,
some teenagers may resort to abortion. Since this practice is illegal in
the Philippines, they may seek abortion in unsafe conditions, making
them vulnerable to health complications, and may result in death
(WHO, 2013).
3. Cognitive effects - Sexual abuse and exploitation can also cause the
child to experience cognitive issues including:
• Attention and memory problems
• Impaired intelligence
• Learning difficulties which may result in poor academic performance
4. Interpersonal effects - Sexual abuse and exploitation also affects the
person’s ability to have meaningful relationship with other people.
These effects may appear when the child develops into an adult. These
may include:
• Problems in communicating
• Insecurity in relationships
• Unstable intimate relationships
5. Behavioural effects – Behavioural effects of abuse and exploitation
often show as unlawful conduct or violating common rules or
regulations in society. This may include:
• Doing poorly in school
• Causing fights
• Becoming more violent
• Becoming more promiscuous
6. Economic effects – A child’s experience of sexual abuse and
exploitation also has economic cost. If the child gets pregnant, she may
be forced to drop out of school youth to take care of the baby or look
for a job to support the baby. This decreases the young person’s chance
of a good future (ECPAT International, 2008).
7. Social consequences – As a result of CSEC and OSEC,
children are often left to deal with stigma coming from
the community with being branded as a “victim”, especially
with the conservative view in the Philippines towards your mothers
who got pregnant due to child abuse. Because they are treated
differently, they often have difficulty forming relationships and
interacting with others.
For some children, securing employment and education might be difficult. For others
who are already in school or employed, they may have a hard time fitting in and
focusing on their responsibilities. This is even more notable when they do not receive
the proper support to deal with the trauma they have experienced from the abuse and
exploitation. All these can lead to financial insecurity, which can add to the
psychological burden they are already experiencing. Hence, social consequences that
result from CSEC and OSEC can severely affect the well-being of a young person. (ECPAT
International, 2008)
Why is the fear of reporting about cases of
sexual abuse and exploitation rampant?
Many victim-survivors of abuse and exploitation are filled with
fear that they will not be believed, fear that they will only cause
trouble, fear they may be wrong. In many cases, this is where non-
reporting stems from. The culture of silence is common in cases of
sexual violence especially when accompanied by threats coming from
the perpetrator. (UNICEF, 2016)

In fact, in a survey conducted by Banez (2015) involving 384 girls in Davao City
communities, it was found that cause of non-reporting was the hesitation of
the victims for fear of troubling the family or experiencing punishment. The
results also showed that girls involved in illegal activities and drug use were
reluctant to report sexual violence experienced for fear of punishment and
incarceration.
The research conducted by PAVE Project and National Study on Online
Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children in the Philippines
summarized eight (8) defining themes in the intervention of OSEC
survivors and they are the following:

Theme 1: Survivors often lack of signs of observable trauma

Social workers reported that there are few signs of Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD) among survivors which was often dependent on the type of abuse
experienced – photos. Videos, live-streaming or physical contact. Moreover, the
lack of symptoms of the survivors makes the treatment and social workers job
more challenging. However, the fact that OSEC survivors experienced abuse is more
than enough to impact social worker’s perception of their clients. As the treatment
continues, showing of trauma behaviors also increases as clients become more
educated about their experience.
Theme 2: Survivors don’t always perceive OSEC as abuse.
Describing their experience as abusive can be difficult for the
survivors. Most commonly, they believe they weren’t sexually or
physically abuse since it’s only a photo or video. Also, survivors may
struggle to understand that their loved ones are abusing them as they
believe their behavior helps the family meet ends meet. They rather
feel proud for being able to provide the family’s needs.
Theme 3: Survivors often have pre-existing family dysfunctions.
Often, the family already has history of verbal and physical
abuse. Some parents are also neglectful, not monitoring their children’s
doing especially their social media screen time. All these
dysfunctionalities in the family gives the child limited to no life skills
when rescued to the center.
Theme 4: Survivors are traumatized by the rescue.
Many OSEC survivors felt that they were captured, not rescued.
They may describe the experience as terrifying and traumatic. They
may blame the police and service providers for taking them away and
causing problem in their family. This thought makes them difficult to
trust social workers in return. Lastly, the rescue can be very confusing
and chaotic for them, leading to further traumatization.
Theme 5: Survivors struggle with separation from family.
Survivors still miss their family and feel lonely even after
understanding that their family were harming them. More so,
reintegration with family is slow and a lengthy process, creating
confusion among survivors. From a social worker’s perspective, it is
very stressful and traumatic for the children to be separated from their
families regardless of the services provided for them in the shelter.
Theme 6: Many survivors have difficulty opening up to counselors.
Survivors fear that speaking up will put their loved one to jail.
They also feel shame about their behavior during the OSEC activities,
thinking the social workers will scold or yell at them. Above all, their
past experiences, including the rescue, made it difficult for them to
trust and open up to their social workers or counselors.
Theme 7: Psychoeducation is important for survivors.
Psychoeducation not only teaches OSEC survivors what is abuse,
its impacts to a person, and consequences of doing so, but also
enlighten them about their own experience. Furthermore, it helps
decrease negative feelings such as shame and self-blame, thinking what
happened to them is not their fault. Most especially, psychoeducation
prevents future abuse as they are now aware and can protect
themselves from abusive situations.
Theme 8: Survivors require time and patience to heal.
From the social worker’s perspective, it is hard to gain trust as a
service provider. They have to be consistent of their own words and
actions as the survivors love it when they feel their utmost sincerity in
helping them. Moreover, the counselor have to be patient to overcome
their lack of trust, lack of disclosure, and abuse denial effectively.
Treatment strategies are not enough. Survivors have to be told over
and over again that it’s not their fault their parents got apprehended.
Patience must be carried out everyday as these survivors are still
confused about their situation, deep down.
Tips on How to Positively Respond to
Disclosures from a Child
1. Listen – let the child speak. This is their chance to tell their story. Practice the active listening
skills.
2. Remain calm – react sensitively. Maintain a calm and peaceful atmosphere to aid the child in
opening up. Do not respond with anger or they might feel that you are angry towards them. If
you show disgust, they might think that you are disgusted with what happened to them .
3. Show to child that you know that he or she is telling the truth – it is helpful to show language
of support such as “I know what you are saying is the truth,” or that “It is not your fault that is
happened.” Having the assurance that they are being taken seriously is a big step to healing.
4. Tell the child what he or she feels is valid – oftentimes, when the child might feel that he or
she should not be feeling this way or what happened was not a case for concern when in fact,
it is. When they express fear or they feel despair, tell them that it is okay to feel that way and
they are not alone. Let them know you understand.
Tips on How to Positively Respond to Disclosures from a Child

5. Provide reassurance and comfort to a child – you can do this by communicating that:
• You appreciate their courage to tell their story;
• You are with them;
• They should not be afraid to approach you with their concerns; and
• There are other children who have experienced the same thing and have completely recovered
and are doing well-there is hope in their situation.
6. Be understanding and kind – the child may be experiencing difficulty in expressing themselves.
Avoid correcting the words that the child uses while disclosing. Let them say it the way they feel
most comfortable.
7. Do not force the child to tell you details they are not ready to tell - it is okay if they do not give
you the exact details, such as where the abuser touched them, or if he or she is sure of her facts.
Avoid asking why the CSEC or OSEC case happened because this might the child feel blamed instead
of supported.
Tips on How to Positively Respond to Disclosures from a Child

8. Be honest - if you are not sure of the information you hold, do not hesitate to tell the child that
you do not know, or that you are not aware. Do not make up answers just so the child will feel
better.
9. Give your support - let the child feel that he or she is not alone. Make them feel that you are
with them. Ask the child what he or she wants to happen at the moment and what kind of support
he or she needs. Disclosing the abuse may take a toll on the child and what he or she needs the
most is all the support he or she could get from friends and family.
10. Provide the child with options for next possible steps, and encourage him or her to report -
One important thing you can do for the child is to encourage him or her to report the abuse to
service providers, authorities, or ask someone you trust to help you report the abuse. The child
needs to understand that he or she does not have to go through what happened alone, that there
are people, such as service providers, who are capable and will help him or her heal and move
forward.
Words of Support and Encouragement
Here are some sample statements you can say to reassure a child:
• Statement that builds trust: “I believe you.”
• Statement that strengthens your bond with the child: “I am glad that you told me.”
• Statement that expresses sympathy: “I am sorry this happened to you.”
• Statement that is non-blaming: “This is not your fault.”
• Statement that reassures and empowers: “You are very brave to talk with me and
we will try to help you.”

Adapted from International Rescue Committee (IRC) and UNICEF (2012). Caring for Child Survivors of Sexual Abuse: Guidelines for Health and Psychosocial
Providers in Humanitarian Settings . Retrieved from [Link]/protection/files/IRC_CCSGuide_FullGuide_lowres.pdf
The following are the recommendations of the National
Study on Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of
Children in the Philippines for protecting children against
OSAEC:
a. Create an integrated framework for responding to OSAEC-related cases covering the continuum of interventions
—from prevention, identification, reporting, rescue, trial, and after care —that will involve the review of existing
laws and policies and promotion of effective collaboration among different government and non-government
agencies. Adopting an integrated framework is a prerequisite for a more efficient and integrative collaborative
work of the different stakeholders.

b. Protect children from psychological harm. Develop a child-sensitive rescue protocol that prevents the victim from
experiencing more trauma. Temporary shelters for victims—from rescue to inquest—are also needed. During
investigation, acceptance of digital evidence presented by law enforcement as sufficient to prosecute the alleged
offender can spare the child victim from testifying in court. Children should also be protected from media coverage of
OSAEC cases.

c. Have mental health professionals, i.e., licensed psychologists and guidance counselors provide appropriate
psychosocial interventions for victims. Strengthen services in halfway homes to quickly provide the children a sense of
safety and security even before they are transferred to shelters. More importantly, there is merit to study optimization
of relevant laws that encourage community-based approaches such as the Foster Care Act. This ensures that children
rescued have other placement options and are not only endorsed in alternative residential facilities but are supported in
home environment setting.
For Family and Community
a. Provide a reform program that aims to rehabilitate parents who were involved in OSAEC
cases.
b. Provide sustainable livelihood programs for families in the community and inculcate the
value of hard-earned money acquired legally.
c. Conduct programs for families and the community to educate them on how to deal with
children who will be reintegrated so that the children will not experience secondary
victimization and will thrive despite their OSAEC experience.
d. Spread public awareness across schools, communities, churches, and families on proper
Internet use; the nature of OSAEC and its impacts on the child, the family, and the
community; and its identification and prevention.
e. At the barangay level, educate leaders on child protection and OSAEC. Strengthen the local
council for protection of children and carry out information campaigns on OSAEC-related
laws. Have barangay officials visit homes as a measure of prevention and intervention.
For Case Resolution and Management
a. Allow for less stringent requirements in obtaining search warrants when dealing with
OSAEC cases.
b. Provide continuous training
• to address relocation of trained law enforcement staff;
• on terminologies and the use of search engines to spot OSAEC cases;
• for investigators on evidence required by courts;
• for prosecutors and judges on OSAEC laws and on authentication of electronic/digital evidence;
• for National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police on protocols for
investigating OSAEC;
• for their counterparts in provinces and/or regions to address accuracy of reports on detection,
investigation, and case build-up;
• for lawyers on effective presentation of digital evidence so it can become admissible in court; and
• for social workers on enhancing the design of intervention programmes from the rescue to
aftercare, which could include placement of children.
For Case Resolution and Management
c. Propose rules to make OSAEC cases an exception to the Anti-Wiretapping Act because some
evidence is deemed inadmissible with respect to this law.
d. Significantly increase efficiency in securing evidence, rescuing victims, and coordinating with
other agencies.
e. Adopt standard terminologies that cut across government and non-government service
providers, making clear how child pornography, cyber-bullying, and online grooming are
defined and reflected in law. This is to ensure that stakeholders have a harmonized
understanding of the various forms of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children.
f. Protocols for each phase of the case management system (from reporting to aftercare with
specific roles of all involved parties) should be explicitly defined, understood, and followed
across the country to make OSAEC response sustainable. Internal protocols in organizations
may exist but may not be clear as to when the case is to be taken to the next phase or service
provider (e.g., referral of a small NGO to the police). One area that can be studied is on
aftercare where children are in community-based rehabilitation programmes, in order to
understand the level of support and security that must be given for children rescued and the
homes that will care for them.
For Government and International
Partners
a. Enhance information-sharing of all agencies involved (including courts) on OSAEC cases
through a centralized database system for prevention and monitoring.
b. Strengthen secretariat and coordinative functions of the Inter-Agency Council Against Child
Pornography (IACACP) to ensure facility in information-sharing, resource mobilization, and
linking with other like-minded organizations and councils; provision of support to member
organizations; and monitoring of the implementation of the council’s strategic plan.
c. Provide logistical support for law enforcement agencies dealing with OSAEC (i.e., increase
operational budget and budget for purchase of needed equipment).
d. Expand OSAEC-related satellite offices in the regions (e.g., address congested facilities).
e. Provide debriefing and regular psychosocial services for first responders and child
advocates (including house parents in shelters) to prevent secondary trauma or vicarious
traumatization and burnout among those involved in OSAEC.
f. Enforce provisions in the law requiring financial institutions and remittance centers to act
on OSAEC-related transactions.
Thank you