Southeast Asia has become both a source and a hub for the production, distribution, and consumption of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), driven by increasing internet access, digital platforms, and systemic vulnerabilities. Countries such as the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia are at the centre of this crisis, with transnational offenders exploiting poverty, weak regulation, and inadequate child protection infrastructure to operate with relative impunity (ECPAT, 2022).

One of the most disturbing trends is the rise of live-streamed child sexual abuse for paying foreign clients. According to WeProtect Global Alliance (2023), this form of abuse - enabled by encrypted platforms and digital payments - is particularly difficult to detect and disrupt, with perpetrators able to orchestrate abuse in real-time while evading traditional law enforcement techniques. The Philippines’ Department of Justice Cybercrime Office reports over 3,000 confirmed cases of Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) annually, yet prosecutions remain rare.

Southeast Asian countries are not only the origin of content but also increasingly transit and storage points for CSAM, often hosted on regional servers or distributed via peer-to-peer networks. Transnational organised crime groups exploit legal gaps, such as inconsistent definitions of CSAM, lack of mandatory reporting for tech companies, and weak mutual legal assistance frameworks. In many cases, content is monetised through crypto-enabled marketplaces on the dark web, enabling anonymity and profit at scale (INTERPOL, 2024).

Law enforcement agencies in the region often lack dedicated cybercrime units or training in digital forensic techniques. In some jurisdictions, limited awareness among judiciary actors and culturally ingrained taboos around child sexual abuse hinder victim identification and survivor-centred approaches (UNICEF, 2023). Moreover, the slow pace of harmonising laws with global standards, such as the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, exacerbates regional enforcement challenges.

Some promising initiatives exist. The Philippines Internet Crimes Against Children Center (PICACC), a multi-agency taskforce supported by INTERPOL and the UK’s NCA, has disrupted several CSAM networks since its inception in 2019. Thailand’s TICAC (Thailand Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce) has also built capacity with international support. However, these efforts require sustained political will, cross-border collaboration, and robust child safeguarding systems to be truly effective.