Making meaning of irreconcilable destruction of innocence: national humanitarian professionals exposed to cybercrime child sexual exploitation in the Philippines

Unfathomably, sex cybercrimes against children in the Philippines has tripled during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic creating increased challenges for carers of children, law enforcers, and prosecutors. Burnout, primary and secondary traumatic stress are each mental health risks for child protection carers. However, for some, longevity of career sustained by a passion for justice and protection, appears possible. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, this idiographic study explored both positive and negative ‘lived’ interpretations of four frontline workers in the field of cyber sexual exploitation of children in the Philippines. One superordinate theme: Irreconcilable destruction of innocence; mercy and justice; and the passionate self; overarched three subordinate themes evoking reflections of traumatic workplace distress and wellbeing for these participants. As family members facilitate most cyber child sexual abuse in the Philippines, participants experienced a conflict between their desire to seek justice for victims and a conviction, born of their faith philosophy, to show mercy to perpetrators. For some professionals exposed to child sexual exploitation, an integral spiritual and moral struggle to integrate justice and forgiveness may underpin both traumatic distress and a trajectory of posttraumatic growth, fuelling a continued commitment and passion for this work. This study has implications for organisations employing individuals to work in this field, to ensure that adequate protections are implemented to protect against burnout and traumatic distress. Further implications include world governments’ roles in developing effective controls against online child sexual exploitation that has meteorically risen as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic.