MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation launched the Philippine Survivor Network (PSN) today, Feb. 8, 2023, as they stepped up to lead a movement to protect vulnerable people through a robust Philippine justice system.
The PSN provides opportunities for members, who are at least 15 years old, to develop their leadership abilities and to actively participate in decision-making that impacts survivors and future generations. Its members – currently at 81 – are survivors of child sexual abuse, commercial sexual exploitation, and online sexual exploitation of children.
“The PSN aims to contribute to creating safer communities in the Philippines, in which vulnerable people are protected from all types of violence, the survivors are sustainably restored, and the justice system listens and works together with survivors. We are excited to embark on this journey and look forward to collaborating with government and non-government partners to achieve this goal,” said Monica Renomeron, PSN Chairperson.
An initiative of International Justice Mission (IJM), the PSN works to ensure that solutions against online sexual exploitation of children are informed by the real-life experiences of survivors. “IJM recognizes that survivors will become catalytic leaders in the movement to protect children. They have unique and powerful experiences and expertise to share, including insight into the nature of exploitation, the factors that allow it to flourish, the perpetrators who profit from it, and the solutions that can stop it,” said Atty. Samson Inocencio Jr., National Director of IJM Philippines and Vice President of IJM's Program Against Online Sexual Exploitation of Children.
“IJM recognizes that survivors will become catalytic leaders in the movement to protect children. They have unique and powerful experiences and expertise to share, including insight into the nature of exploitation, the factors that allow it to flourish, the perpetrators who profit from it, and the solutions that can stop it.”
The PSN is a local chapter of the Global Survivor Network (GSN), an international group of survivors leading a global movement to protect communities around the world from violence. Through the GSN, survivors of violence from around the world are advocating for change in their communities and speaking out as leaders.
In the Philippines, IJM has supported authorities in rescuing more than 1,000 survivors of online child sexual exploitation, with operations dating back to 2011. Before transitioning its program to combating online sexual exploitation of children in 2016, IJM Philippines worked to combat the sex trafficking of children in bars and brothels, leading to dramatic decreases in the crime’s prevalence in the cities where it partnered with local authorities.
For more inquiries, contact:
Evelyn Pingul
Director, Brand, Media, and Communications Team
IJM Global Programs Against Online Sexual Exploitation of Children
[email protected]
ABOUT THE PHILIPPINE SURVIVOR NETWORK
The Philippine Survivor Network (PSN) is an all-inclusive program for survivors of child sexual abuse, commercial sexual exploitation, and online sexual exploitation of children in the Philippines, who desire and pursue safe communities through justice systems that protect the most vulnerable people. A local chapter of the Global Survivor Network (GSN), the PSN facilitates opportunities for leadership development and advocacy involvement of its members at the community and national levels. To learn more about the GSN, visit globalsurvivornetwork.org.
ABOUT INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION
International Justice Mission (IJM) is a global organization that protects people in poverty from violence. IJM works with local authorities and governments to rescue and restore survivors, hold perpetrators accountable, and help strengthen public justice systems so they can better protect people from violence. Its 21 years of work in the Philippines led to a dramatic decrease in the prevalence of sex trafficking of children in bars and brothels—reductions ranging from 72%-86% in the cities where it partnered with local authorities. In 2016, IJM fully transitioned its program in the Philippines to combat online sexual exploitation of children, in particular the trafficking of children to create new child sexual abuse materials, including via livestreaming. As of January 20, 2023, IJM has assisted Philippine authorities in 317 operations, leading to the rescue of 1,063 victims and arrest of 329 suspects of online sexual exploitation of children (first case dates to 2011).