LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu-For journalists, telling the stories of children who have survived sexual abuse and exploitation presents one of the most difficult challenges in reporting: How do you expose a crime that thrives in secrecy without exposing the very people who need protection?
This delicate balance between the public’s right to know and a child’s right to safety became the central discussion during a three-day media training on online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC), held October 19-21 at Bluewater Maribago in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.
Organized by International Justice Mission (IJM) Philippines in partnership with the Philippine Survivor Network (PSN) and STET Women in Cebu Media, the training brought together 20 media practitioners from different parts of Visayas and Mindanao for discussions on ethical reporting, trauma-informed journalism and the responsibility of news organizations in protecting vulnerable children.
Under the theme ‘Stories That Matter, Communities That Protect,’ the gathering challenged journalists to examine not only how they report sexual exploitation cases but also whether their stories help survivors find justice or unintentionally deepen their suffering.
Several OSAEC survivors shared their insights during the duration of the training, with a consensus that a photograph, a video clip, a headline or even a seemingly harmless detail in a news report can help bring an injustice to public attention but cautioned that when handled carelessly, the same information can reveal a survivor’s identity, reopen traumatic experiences and expose a child to further harm.
For Patricia, a survivor and member of the Philippine Survivor Network (PSN), the responsibility begins with recognizing the human lives behind every story.
‘Behind every report is a life that matters, not just a headline, not just a statistic,’ she told the participating journalists.
Patricia, now a fourth-year college student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in secondary education, reminded the media practitioners that survivors should never be defined solely by the abuse they experienced.
‘We are not just numbers. We are students, workers, parents, leaders, advocates, and members of our communities,’ she said.
‘Every word, every image, and every detail can affect real lives,’ Patricia said.
When reporting is part of the problem
The organizers explained that for journalists covering crime, child protection and human rights, the challenge extends beyond gathering facts and interviewing sources.
‘A child’s face may be blurred in a photograph, but the surrounding environment, school uniform, neighborhood or family circumstances could still reveal the child’s identity. Even when names are withheld, the combination of details in a report can allow neighbors, classmates or other community members to identify a survivor.’
In video journalism, a voice, recognizable location or footage of a family home may create similar risks.
The rapid circulation of digital content further complicates the problem. Once photographs, videos and identifying information are published online, they can be copied, downloaded and shared far beyond the control of the original news organization.
For media practitioners accustomed to documenting disasters, armed conflict, crime and other sensitive situations, reporting on OSAEC requires another level of ethical judgment.
The question is no longer simply whether an image or piece of information is newsworthy, but whether publishing it serves the public interest without compromising the safety and dignity of a child.
Atty. Lovelie Faith Entoma-Forcadilla, IJM Philippines’ head of casework, emphasized that responsible reporting must begin with the principle of doing no harm.
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Journalists, she said, must balance the public interest with the best interests of the child, avoiding unnecessary interviews or descriptions that could force survivors to relive traumatic experiences.
Instead of repeatedly asking survivors to recount their abuse, reporters can seek information from social workers, aftercare providers, investigators and other qualified sources.
The goal, she explained, is to report on the crime and the systems that allow it to continue, rather than turn a survivor’s suffering into the centerpiece of a sensational story.
‘We want to tell the story of the crime, not the trauma of the survivor,’ Entoma-Forcadilla said.
A crime hidden in plain sight
The need for responsible reporting has become increasingly urgent as online child sexual exploitation continues to affect communities across the Philippines.
Entoma-Forcadilla pointed out to the participants how offenders use internet-connected devices, digital communication platforms and financial transactions to facilitate abuse.
Some cases involve the production and distribution of child sexual abuse or exploitation material, while others involve abuse transmitted live over the internet.
The exploitation may take place inside ordinary homes, sometimes involving people who have direct access to children, including relatives or even their own parents.
Entoma-Forcadilla cited findings from an IJM-supported study conducted in 2022 and released in 2023, which estimated that nearly half a million Filipino children were trafficked to produce new child sexual exploitation material that year.
The study, she said, also challenged earlier assumptions that the problem was concentrated in a few known locations.
Instead, its findings indicated that the threat extended across the country, including communities where cases were rarely reported or detected.
The figures underscore a troubling reality: A crime can remain largely invisible to the public even when it is occurring within communities.
For journalists, that creates a difficult reporting environment.
The training emphasized that unlike crimes committed in public spaces, online child sexual exploitation can take place behind closed doors, leaving few visible signs for reporters to document.
It added that fear, stigma and mistrust of authorities can also discourage survivors and families from coming forward. Yet the absence of reported cases does not necessarily mean that children are safe.
IJM pointed out that journalists can make a difference by investigating systemic failures, examining the response of authorities, explaining how communities can recognize and report suspected abuse, and holding institutions accountable without exposing survivors.