Mother arrested for online trafficking

CEBU, Philippines —  A 29-year-old mother who offered to sexually abuse her daughter and relatives online in exchange for money from a foreign sex offender was arrested by the authorities.

“Now that the suspect is restrained, this does not only mean protection and safety of her victims but also those children who would have been abused if she was not restrained at all,” said lawyer Lucille Dejito, Head of Prosecution Development at IJM Cebu Field Office, in a statement.

Dejito said that the successful rescue of these children is possible because of the Philippine National Police and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the agencies that came together to protect the Filipino children and end the cycle of Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC).

“When governments collaborate to enforce the law, criminals will have no way out and impunity will not thrive,” Dejito said.

IJM-CFO said that members of the police’s Women and Children Protection Center – Visayas Field Unit (WCPC-VFU) carried out the operation in Daanbantayan, Cebu last Tuesday.

They arrested the suspected online trafficker after she offered her daughter and two other young girls online for sexual abuse.

The three minors, aged 5 to 12 years old, were rescued along with an adult victim, aged 27.

These four victims are all related to the perpetrator. The perpetrator’s five-year-old son was also removed because he was determined to be a child at risk.

WCPC-VFU conducted the other day’s operation in coordination with the Inter-Agency Council against Trafficking (IACAT) 7, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 7, and Daanbantayan Police Office, with support from IJM.

This successful operation was a result of a referral given to the Philippine Internet Crimes against Children Center (PICACC).  GAN (FREEMAN)