Breaking Barriers to Protect Boys from Online Sexual Exploitation
The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly altered the sex trafficking landscape. With restrictions pushing people to spend more time online, traffickers have increasingly turned to digital platforms to sexually exploit individuals. This shift has changed their recruitment strategies and broadened the pool of potential victims, challenging our previous assumptions about who is at risk. It is no longer just impoverished girls; now, anyone can be targeted.
“Reports from several countries demonstrated drastic increases in online commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking, including online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC), and demand for and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Traffickers have continued to advance schemes to exploit individuals using digital tools to groom, deceive, control, and exploit victims.”
- 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report
Our statistics reveal a troubling trend in the human trafficking cases LIFT assisted. Between 2019 and 2022, during the pandemic, sex trafficking crimes surged. This rise significantly correlates with increased digital activity. Alarmingly, more boys were victimised during this period.
This statistic does not signal a decrease in the sexual exploitation of girls. Instead, it reveals a troubling trend: more boys are being exploited online. This rise seems tied to boys' digital habits—spending significant time gaming and sharing in niche online communities. These activities heighten their vulnerability to exploitation.
Meeting the needs of male victims requires a unified response across all involved sectors to ensure effective care. At LIFT, we have gleaned vital insights from directly supporting these boys. These challenges often serve as barriers that hinder successful assistance. Overcoming the barriers demands collaboration between service providers and victims, working together to overcome challenges. Building trust is key—reaching the boys' hearts, so that we can unlock the path to success. It's crucial to ensure every child, regardless of gender, can heal from trauma through comprehensive care, reclaiming the opportunity for a normal life.
“Regardless of gender, all individuals deserve equal respect as human beings. Yet, a significant hurdle persists: the barrier of mindset. This barrier is often upheld by those who should protect them—whether it’s parents, the community, or even those within the justice system.”
Discovering Challenging Barriers to Protect Boys from Online Sexual Exploitation
1.First Barrier: The Mindset for Boys
Our values and beliefs shape our worldview, handed down through generations as societal norms. Similarly, gender stereotypes, such as viewing women as weaker or expecting men to suppress emotions and vulnerabilities, create significant barriers.These barriers obstruct efforts to protect and support the exploited through legal aid, social work, and prevention initiatives.
This is a major barrier that needs to be overcome. Some families hesitate to seek justice in online exploitation cases due to a wrong mindset, like “being a victim of online sexual exploitation cannot cause harm in physical, especially for boys.” In addition, some find the justice system daunting and doubt they will receive fair justice results.
“The Mindset for Boys” abandons boys from where they should receive support, and leaves them to overcome challenges alone with blind hope. Our legal and social work teams are dedicated to reshaping this mindset. We tirelessly foster understanding with boys and their families, aiming to erase this misconception for genuine transformation. True change is pivotal for justice and support, starting by empowering young boys and their parents.
Based on a case study that LIFT assisted a law enforcement unit with in 2023, we identified fifteen young boys who had been sharing child pornography material online. Even though only five boys came forward to the legal process of prosecuting the offender to hold him accountable.
LIFT social workers shared their experience that emphasises the importance of understanding and creating ‘Comfort Spaces’ for the young boys they assist. These relational spaces foster trust, nurture a sense of freedom, and reassure them of our steadfast support until justice is served.
2. Second barrier : Justice System Recognizes Emotional Wounds from Online Sexual Exploitation
At LIFT, we prioritise trauma-informed care for survivors throughout the prosecution process. Our social workers will guide survivors in crafting their "Victim Impact Statement," a document that articulates their trauma and suffering. Meanwhile, our psychologists assess mental health and provide a mental health assessment. These documents, submitted to the court, help the justice system deeper understand the profound impact of trauma on survivors' lives.
“Boys often find it challenging to explain their trauma and its impact. Social workers with psychological backgrounds can help them identify emotional distress symptoms like anxiety, insomnia, stress, or depression. These observations are crucial for conveying their suffering effectively in court”.- Chutinate Arsakit, LIFT's social work leader
By advocating for justice, the LIFT team creates a tangible impact that erases doubts about the justice system's reliability and instils confidence. A similar change occurred among young boys and their families who received the initial remedy through the Provincial Justice Office [1], ensuring accountability for the perpetrators while supporting funds for survivors during the prosecution.
Nearly two years of LIFT's effort, our team has achieved the justice that boys and their families have long awaited—a cause for celebration. The criminal court has sentenced the offender to 94 years in prison [2] for deceiving numerous boys into sending inappropriate images via online chat, which he then sold on social media for profit. This strong sentencing underscored the court's recognition of the severe online exploitation these boys endured.
remark : [1] Victims in criminal court deserve an initial remedy fund for damages they didn’t cause. Offenders must be prosecuted and punished. This remedy from the government is separate from the court-ordered compensation paid by the offender. [2] The criminal court originally sentenced him to 94 years in prison. This was reduced to 47 years after he pleaded guilty and partially compensated the victims.
3. Third barrier : Technology's Impact on Family Relationships
In our experience, parents react differently when they first know about their child's situation. It was an overwhelming moment that often triggers emotions like regret, stress, or disappointment. Many grapple with anger towards themselves for not shielding their child from the restrictions of online boundaries.
The role of social workers is crucial in protecting survivors of online exploitation by educating their families about the realities involved. In this way, survivors are assured that their parents understand them and provide them with care and protection. Unlike traditional sex trafficking cases, survivors are placed in child protection shelters after being removed from harmful environments such as brothels, karaoke bars, and communities that could push them back into trafficking cycles.
In instances of online sexual exploitation, survivors often come from stable family backgrounds with a physical security. Nonetheless, social workers need to work closely with families to build positive relationships and make the home a safe space for them again.
Parents often think their home is safe with fences and walls. However, many parents are unaware that the Internet serves as an open door for strangers who may pose a threat to their children. This is especially true for parents or guardians who have insufficient understanding of how to safely navigate these technologies.
It's crucial to help parents see the situation from all angles. Their current perspectives, though well-intentioned, need to evolve to understand how technology can unintentionally create barriers in parent-child relationships. Ultimately, parents will come to realise that their child is not at fault but needs vital support and protection. This realisation can shift them away from negative reactions, like blame, towards collaborative efforts to tackle these challenges.
Empowering parents to "become real parents again" is crucial to our child protection efforts. Yet, achieving this goal demands systemic changes, including reforms within many sectors like Thailand's Ministry of Education and Ministry of Human and Social Development. Every sector has a crucial part in empowering and strengthening families, as today's children will be tomorrow's parents.
LIFT has continually extensive experience assisting victims of online exploitation. We have seen a troubling trend of children not receiving the appropriate help they need, risking their path to becoming offenders. This highlights the urgent need for continued support and intervention to break the cycle of online sexual trafficking.
Protecting children and families from online sexual exploitation is a huge task, requiring systemic change. Yet, LIFT International remains steadfast in our fight against all forms of human trafficking. Our commitment extends to empowering survivors through the "LIFT Life Fund." This initiative fund provides them with sufficient resources, allowing them to grow into responsible adults and future parents, fostering positive change in our society.