Cebu mother arrested for online sexual abuse of daughter, aged four

Cebu mother
Cebu mother arrested: The child is carried from her home this morning following the entrapment operation. Picture courtesy of the International Justice Mission.

Police have arrested a Cebu mother for allegedly broadcasting the online sexual abuse of her four-year-old daughter and 15-year-old sister.

The 25-year-old is now in custody following an entrapment operation at her home in Minglanilla town, south Cebu, at about 9.30am today (Wednesday, August 29).

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Her daughter and sister were rescued and are now in the care of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

During the entrapment operation, the suspect offered to livestream the sexual abuse her daughter to an officer posing as a foreign pervert.

In a press statement, the International Justice Mission (IJM), a organisation that campaigns against online sexual exploitation of children, said surveillance operations against the suspect had been underway for several months.

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The IJM discovered that the suspect had been selling pornographic photographs and videos of the children to online clients all around the world.

Senior Superintendent Romeo Perigo vowed that there would be no let-up in the campaign against online sexual exploitation of children.

“We appeal to other people committing the same offences to stop this illegal activity. If you continue, the police will find you and put you in jail,” he warned.

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Lawyer John Tanagho, the IJM’s field office director in Cebu, lauded the police for the arrest.

“Minglanilla is added to the list of Philippine towns and cities where police have arrested suspected traffickers for sexually abusing and exploiting children online,” he said.

“Over time these operations send the message to traffickers that it’s too risky to abuse children. In fact, because the police have intensified their efforts against online sexual exploitation of children, more children will be safe from this violent and sick abuse, both now and in the future.”

The suspected online trafficker will be charged under Republic Act 9208 or the AntiTrafficking in Persons Act as amended by RA 10364, and RA 9775 or the Anti-Child Pornography Act in relation to RA 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act.

The net is also closing in on the overseas clients who fund the vile trade. On Monday, for example, we reported that Dwayne Stinson, aged 53 from Virginia was convicted to 20 years in prison for paying a Filipina to abuse her six-year-old son.

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