Why are we still discussing these crimes as though the abuse is primarily a problem in the countries where children are victimized, rather than also i
Why are we still discussing these crimes as though the abuse is primarily a problem in the countries where children are victimized, rather than also in the wealthy countries where men are paying for it? Why do we pretend that wealthy nations are not exploiting and silencing girls for harmful reasons?
CNN has just published a disturbing investigation into the commercial sexual abuse of children in the Philippines, with particular attention to American men paying for abuse to be carried out and livestreamed thousands of miles away.
The investigation, reported by Hanako Montgomery, is titled Made to Order: The Americans Buying Child Sex Abuse. It was published in October 2026.
What makes this investigation especially important is that it follows the demand, not merely the abuse taking place in the Philippines. The people purchasing and directing the abuse can be sitting in their homes in the United States while children elsewhere suffer the consequences.
What CNN uncovered
Nearly half a million children: A 2023 International Justice Mission study estimated that nearly 500,000 Filipino children experienced online sexual exploitation involving the production of abuse material in a year. This is a prevalence estimate, not a count of confirmed individual cases.
The United States was the largest identified source of demand: According to Philippine financial intelligence cited in the reporting, Americans spent more than $7 million on such material between 2020 and 2022.
Abuse was sometimes directed in real time: Buyers paid adults in the Philippines to abuse children while watching remotely and, in some cases, issuing instructions.
Family members were sometimes involved: CNN reported that some children were exploited by adults entrusted with their care, including mothers and other female relatives.
- The buyers were not confined to one social background: The investigation identified men across different occupations and age groups.
First, the men purchasing the abuse are perpetrators, not passive viewers. When someone pays to have a child sexually abused, that person is helping create the demand and financing the crime. Physical distance does not erase responsibility.
Second, the betrayal by caregivers is central. Children depend on adults for protection. When a parent or relative facilitates abuse, the child may have nowhere safe to turn. Poverty can create vulnerability, but it does not excuse the adults who exploit children.
Third, the technology makes accountability difficult. Livestreamed abuse may leave less recoverable evidence than recorded material. The financial transactions, communications, and cooperation between countries become essential to investigations.
There is also a troubling U.S. enforcement question. CNN’s investigation reported that substantial Homeland Security Investigations resources had been redirected toward immigration enforcement, raising concerns about the capacity to investigate child exploitation.
You can find coverage of the investigation here: How Americans Are Bankrolling Child Sexual Abuse in the Philippines.
The Philippines is the epicenter of the industry for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) – one of the fastest growing crimes online.
From 2015 to 2023, the US was the number one buyer of CSAM from the Philippines, according to the Philippine Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).
From 2020 to 2022, Americans spent more than $7 million on illegal child abuse content from the Philippines, according to the AMLC report. That number does little to illustrate the scale of the problem.
CSAM is often sold for just a few dollars an image, or for access to a livestream, so the figure represents hundreds of thousands of images – and children.