MANILA – The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday announced a significant breakthrough in the fight against online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) with the arrest on November 6 of a female suspect, and the rescue of four minors in Misamis Oriental.
In a news release, the DOJ, which heads the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), said the 32-year-old woman was arrested in an operation by Aleng Pulis operatives of the Women and Children Protection Center – Mindanao Field Unit (WCPC-MFU).
The WCPC-MFU’s Internet Crime Against Children Investigators conducted online surveillance and cyber patrolling after discovering the suspect’s social media account, which contained evidence of her offering minors for sexual exploitation in exchange for money.
An entrapment and rescue operation and an implementation of a Warrant to Search, Seize, and Examine Computer Data (WSSECD) was conducted in close collaboration with other police units, the International Justice Mission, and the IACAT 10 (Northern Mindanao) Anti-Trafficking Task Force.
The operation resulted in the rescue of one victim and three children at risk.
Authorities highlighted the nature of the crime, wherein victims were found to have been coerced into performing sexual acts in front of a camera for online customers, who transfer money or use other online payment systems.
These images and videos were often resold online. The officials also confiscated crucial evidence from the suspect’s possession.
The DOJ emphasized that the fight against online sexual abuse and exploitation requires the collaborative efforts of government agencies, civil society, and the public.
“This is a collective war anchored in our deep sense of duty to protect our children from harm, which now has even expanded to cyberspace,” said DOJ Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty, the USEC-in-charge for IACAT and the National Coordination Center against Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children and Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (NCC-OSAEC- CSAEM).
Meanwhile, the WCPC urged the public to report any instances of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children via the WCPC’s Facebook page, which operates 24/7.
It also invited everyone to share information and report on this Facebook page: PNP Women and Children Protection Center. (PNA)