CEBU CITY, Philippines—Law enforcement here vowed to intensify their surveillance to detect other possible cybersex dens operating in the city.
This after they raided a cybersex den in Barangay Luz last Wednesday, July 13, 2022, and rescued at least seven children from the hands of a suspected trafficker.
Police Maj. Niño Lawrence Ibo, officer-in-charge of the Women and Children Protection Center – Visayas Field Unit (WCPC-Visayas Field Unit), said they are alarmed that the recent string of anti-trafficking operations they conducted involved minors.
“Alarming gyud kay ang mga victims ani kasagaran minor,” said Ibo.
(It’s really alarming since the victims are mostly minors.)
Ibo confirmed that they are closely monitoring reports on other potential traffickers, particularly those accused of doing online sexual exploitation among minors.
“Yes, lain daghan pa gimonitor sa pagkakarun. And hopefully ma dakpan ra gyud sila sa ilahang activities,” he added.
(Yes, we are monitoring more presently. And hopefully, we will be able to apprehend them doing their activities.)
In the meantime, the WCPC-Visayas Field Unit urged the public to report to the authorities immediately if they have any information related to child pornography and other online sexual exploitation cases.
“Kay once maupload videos or photos, wa ta kabalo kung asa muabot sa internet. Unya lisud nata mupadelete,” explained Ibo.
(Once the videos or photos are uploaded, we won’t know where that will reach on the internet. Then it would be difficult to delete.)
He also called parents and adult relatives to be wary of their children’s online activities.
Law enforcers from the WCPC-Visayas Field Unit arrested a female suspect during last Wednesday’s raid in Barangay Luz.
She will be subjected to further interrogation to determine the contacts of the foreign pedophiles she reportedly transacted with.
The children, in the meantime, are currently under the custody of government social workers.
Wednesday’s operation stemmed from anti-online sexual exploitation operation conducted last 2020 in which the arrested individuals told investigators about the female suspect’s illegal activities.
She briefly became inactive when pandemic-driven lockdowns took effect but police recently discovered that she resumed sending nude photos of herself, and sometimes, those of minors, to foreign pedophiles.
/bmjo
READ MORE:
7 minors, including infant, rescued from ‘cybersex den’ in Cebu City