Paper Title
Social Networking Sites as Tool for Sexual Exploitation
Abstract
Social Networking Sites (SNS) had been part of people’s daily lives as an entertainment, information source and
communication means. However, SNS users are being targeted as victims of crimes committed online. Also, Philippines has
been regarded as a haven of crime committed online for many years and one of the common source of sexually exploited
victims. Thus, the researcher had been motivated to conduct this study. The purpose of the study is to seek how social
networking sites are being utilized as medium in sexual exploitation. The researcher used documentary analysis in analyzing
the data provided by the Philippine National Police-Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division and Department of Justice-Interagency
Council Against Trafficking. Through the strict monitoring of the concerned government agencies on cases of sexual
exploitation, it leads to the discovery that most victims are teenagers whose age ranges from 14y/o and below and typically
female. These victims were victimized because of the high demand of pedophiles. There are two general types of SNS used
in sexual exploitation, the Adult webcam sites, used for nudity, and Instant Messaging Applications, used for personal
transaction between clients and victims. Traffickers enticed victims online or offline by befriending with them and getting
their trust. Traffickers commonly target the emotional aspect of the victims by being an adviser, giving gifts and knowing
things regarding the victim’s family before sexualizing the victim. This implies that anyone can be a victim in the virtual
world, hence, online users must be vigilant.
Keywords - Grooming, Online Victims, Sexual Exploitation, Social Networking Sites, Trafficking