A three-year-old boy, who was sexually abused in exchange for money, was rescued from his mother yesterday at 2 p.m. in their home in Sitio Kalachuchi, Barangay Looc, Lapu-Lapu City.
PHOTO BY IJM CEBU
He was supposed to be safe under the care of his mother.
Instead, a three-year-old boy was rescued by police from his mother Maria (not her real name), who was caught in the act of offering to sexually abuse her son and livestream the acts from her home in Sitio Kalachuchi, Barangay Looc in Lapu-Lapu City.
The entrapment operation happened yesterday (February 26) a few minutes past 2 p.m. when most people were taking their afternoon rest.
Niño (not his real name) is now under the protective custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development Central Visayas (DSWD-7).
Senior Supt. Romeo Perigo, chief of the Women and Children’s Protection Center in Central Visayas (WCPC-7), said someone reported to them that Maria, 24, was involved in the Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC).
Perigo said they started surveillance work last January 24 which led to the woman’s arrest yesterday.
Other victims
Aside from Niño, Perigo said it is also believed that the suspect has other victims, including a five-year-old girl, who was pictured in one of the explicit photographs.
“We are doing our best to locate the others so we can rescue them. But we already checked the neighborhood but the people said they do not know the child in the pictures,” Perigo told Cebu Daily News.
Perigo of WCPC-7 said this is the first entrapment operation that their office conducted in 2018.
“These cases can happen anywhere as long as there is internet connection. Today, we are able to catch the suspect. She did not deny committing the acts,” said Perigo.
Smart phones and money transfer receipts were found in the possession of the boy’s mother. This was pursuant to the implementation of a search warrant issued by Judge Ramon Daomilas Jr. of Regional Trial Court Branch 10 which was designated as a Cybercrime court.
Lawyer John Tanagho, International Justice Mission (IJM) Cebu field office director, said the operation came two days after two operations in Biliran and Tacloban rescued 13 victims and arrested three suspects.
“This is a reminder that there is much progress in the fight against OSEC and effective law enforcement can rescue and protect traumatized Filipino children across the country,” Tanagho said.
Collaborative effort
The entrapment operation was a collaborative effort of the Philippine National Police WCPC Visayas Field Unit, Lapu-Lapu City WCPC and Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), Regional Anti-Cybercrime Group, DSWD-7 and IJM.
IJM, in an official statement, said the suspect graphically described how she would sexually abuse her three-year-old son in exchange for money.
“Before the entrapment, the suspect even sent sexually explicit videos of very young children forced to perform sex acts on the suspect,” said IJM in an official statement.
Police will file against the suspect criminal violations under RA 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, RA 9775 or the Anti-Child Pornography Act in relation to RA 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act.
IJM Philippines uncovered an increasing number of cases involving the online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC).
Children as young as three months old are being exploited to produce illicit photographs, pornographic videos and customer-directed live sex shows for those residing overseas. Eighty-seven percent of the victims are minors. Of this percentage, 55% are 12 years old or younger.
As of January 2018, IJM supported 76 rescue operations, rescued 268 victims, arrested 121 suspects and facilitated 20 convictions. These operations were conducted in Cebu, Manila, Leyte, Bacolod, Bohol and Iligan.