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The global crisis of online child sexual exploitation and abuse, also referred to as technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and abuse, is escalating. While the internet offers many opportunities, children globally are being exposed to new and evolving forms of sexual exploitation and harm.
This is especially challenging in low- and middle-income countries where child protection systems and services remain limited. The Disrupting Harm study found that up to 20% of 12-17-year-olds in 13 African and South-East Asian countries experienced online sexual abuse over the course of a one-year period. New developments, including artificial intelligence, are accelerating the threats to children, with tools enabling synthetic abuse material, automated grooming and deepfakes.
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While the impact of online child exploitation and abuse is severe, many children and their families never receive the crucial help and support they need. Child Frontiers’ study on the quality and capacity of therapeutic and rehabilitative services for children affected by online sexual abuse and exploitation for UNICEF Philippines found that when cases are reported and prosecuted, children often experience further psychological trauma during the rescue and subsequent steps, including lengthy legal processes and enforced institutional care. Frontline service providers have limited knowledge of OCSEA or how to deal with this complex issue. Our recent global literature review for UNICEF on multidisciplinary models of care for child victims and survivors of sexual abuse and exploitation also found significant gaps in awareness of this issue among professionals, along with limited specialized training in how to respond to technology-facilitated abuse, and the availability of appropriate therapeutic interventions.
Our team has extensive experience working on commercial sexual exploitation of children and have studied different aspects of technology-faciliated harm through research, evaluations and technical support to governments in different contexts over the past two decades. We are committed to continuously learning and collecting evidence to inform effective and appropriate strategies and services to support children, families and communities facing this issue.
Our Skillset in OCSEA
Designing and implementing innovative reseach to collect better data to understand the evolving dynamics and manifestations of OCSEA, especially from the perspective of children, families and communities.
Enhancing coordination across agencies from multiple sectors to address OCSEA from a systems approach, building on Child Frontiers’ extensive experience mapping, strengthening and supporting Governments and national stakeholders to design and implement contextually appropriate child and family welfare systems.
​Exploring and strengthening the knowledge and capacity of frontline service providers to effectively prevent, identify and respond to OCSEA, particularly in low- and middle-income countries with limited resouces and capacity.
Our OCSEA Work
​Some examples of our work on OCSEA:
Evaluation of Protecting Children from OCSEA (2025 – ongoing):
Child Frontiers is supporting UNICEF Ghana to conduct a Theory of Change centered evaluation of the Protecting Children from Online CSEA in Ghana: Scale-up of interventions project. This project seeks to address the capacity of different stakeholders to deliver accessible, quality, coordinated and integrated services to prevent and respond to OCSEA. Learning from this important summative and formative evaluation will be valuable for child protection actors in Ghana, the region and globally, contributing critical evidence on effective and scalable solutions. Child Frontiers is partnering with The Khana Group, a Ghanaian social impact research and evaluation firm, to conduct this learning evaluation.
Evaluation of EAPRO Regional Approach to Ending OCSEA (2025 – ongoing): Child Frontiers and Evident are partnering to evaluate UNICEF EARPRO’s innovative strategic approach to progress child online protection within the ten ASEAN Member States. Two grants from Safe Online have supported the strategic approach during the past eight years. The evaluation team is exploring impact of the programmes, seeking to identify the evidence that confirms the stories of success and challenges that have resulted from this complex strategic approach.
Assessment of Intervention Strategies on Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Child Victims of Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (2022) Child Frontiers conducted a study for UNICEF Philippines to analyse the quality and capacity of existing therapeutic and rehabilitative services available for children affected by online sexual abuse and exploitation. The study generated critical evidence for UNICEF’s advocacy efforts and informed government plans to design interventions for survivors. A key finding was the importance of ensuring children receive psychological counselling, therapeutic interventions and that cases are managed appropriately, with a view to rehabilitation and family reintegration. The study also documented examples of the approach taken towards service provision by Government and civil society agencies and mapped the principal services for OSAEC survivors currently available in the Philippines.
Evaluation of the Programme on Strengthening Safe and Friendly Environments for Children to Prevent and Respond to OCSEA (2025 – ongoing): Child Frontiers is supporting UNICEF Indonesia to conduct an evaluation the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection and UNICEF’s programme to Prevent and Respond to Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation. The evaluation team is exploring impact of the model, which strives to address the complex challenges related to provision of prevention and response services for children who experience and are vulnerable to OCSEA by promoting the active engagement of children, adolescents, and caregivers, as well as enhancing community engagement for early detection and response.
​Regional Programme Information brief on Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Eastern and Southern Africa (2022): Conducted interviews with UNICEF Country Offices and a literature review of efforts to prevent and respond to OCSEA for UNICEF ESARO. The brief profiled a selection of promising practices to share learning across the region. Snapshots of initiatives and services with potential for replication in ESAR and more widely are highlighted to showcase innovative efforts underway in this challenging area.
Study of Efforts to Prevent Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children in the Philippines (2022): The Asia Foundation recruited Child Frontiers to conduct a desk review of the effectiveness of ASEAN's actions to prevent the recruitment of children and women into online pornography and exploitation. Utilising a case study approach supported by qualitative data collection, Child Frontiers conducted a study of efforts underway in the Philippines to prevent OCSEA. As an identified hotspot for OCSEA, the Philippines was selected because it has significant information available on this issue. The Philippines also has a relatively advanced legislative framework and programs aimed at preventing and addressing OCSEA.
Study on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Lao PDR (2011): While CSEC has been identified as a child protection issue in Lao PDR, little qualitative or quantitative information or evidence existed on the current status or emerging manifestations, scale and scope of this phenomenon. Economic and social change have impacted the dynamics of CSEC in Lao PDR, particularly with regard to new forms such as child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and exploitation of children in travel and tourism. The objective of this study was to develop a picture of the different forms of CSEC that exist in Lao PDR and document current manifestations in order to guide future policy. This was one of the first studies where our team documented examples of OCSEA, including the production and sale of CSAM and technology facilitated exploitaiton of children in a country with limited internet penetration and very little awareness or understanding of these new forms of harm.
