Maarko's Story
If you met Maarko* today, you would see a joyful, energetic boy who loves superheroes and playing freeze tag with his friends. Yet when the IJM team first met Maarko in the Philippines, his life was drastically different.
A British man paid Maarko’s mother to set up a webcam in the privacy of her home so he could direct live sexual abuse of children over the internet. The demand for shows spread to customers in other countries, including the U.S. and Canada, and Maarko, his 2-year-old sister, and cousins living next door found themselves trapped in a global network of abuse.
Cybersex trafficking is a devastating form of modern slavery made possible by the rapid spread of the internet.
Children even younger than Maarko are forced to perform sex acts in front of a webcam, as directed by a customer sitting on the other side of a computer screen. The criminals feel protected by the anonymity of the internet, but the crime is anything but virtual. It’s a real child being abused in real time.
After a six-month investigation that underscores the complexity of this borderless crime, Maarko, his sister and cousins were rescued by IJM and Philippine authorities in August 2015.
“I had mixed emotions while listening to their stories,” an IJM social worker confessed after supporting Maarko throughout the rescue operation. “I could not understand the logic of these suspects in abusing their own family members. This is a very traumatizing experience for the victims and will definitely affect the way they look at their future.”
The British man who organized the cybersex trafficking ring is behind bars, and Maarko’s mother is awaiting her trial. Authorities have not yet found digital evidence of Maarko’s abuse; when shows are live-streamed, the video evidence disappears. IJM lawyers are supporting the case, while IJM social workers continue counseling and meeting with Maarko and the other children at the safe shelter where they now live.
Maarko is learning and growing in his new life—free to be a child again.
*Names used are pseudonyms
