Woman nabbed in Bohol for using girls in cybersex

MANILA, Philippines – Authorities arrested a woman who allegedly exploited 4 girls, among them two minors, in a cybersex operation in Bohol.

On Friday, July 21, the Women and Children Protection Center (WCPC) – Visayas Field Unit and the WCPC Calape Police Office arrested a 31-year-old woman in Calape, Bohol, reported the civil society group International Justice Mission (IJM) in a statement.

The woman was allegedly caught “offering the girls, including the minors who were aged 12 and 15, to perform live-streamed sexual acts online” for foreigners “for $150 (around P7,600) per girl,” said the IJM.

At the crime scene, police seized the phone she supposedly used in producing the lewd videos. Money transfer receipts and several other smartphones in her possession were also seized.

The suspect is detained at the Calape Police Station. She will face charges for violating Republic Act (RA) 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, RA 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act, and other related laws. (READ: Cybersex, media, privacy, and the cybercrime law)

The 4 girls rescued from the suspect by the Bohol Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office are now under the protective custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

The DSWD also took the suspect’s 12-year-old son, who was found in the crime scene during the operation, for assessment.

The WCPC acted on a tip from a confidential informant, leading to the alleged trafficker’s arrest. “The police online investigation and field surveillance confirmed that the suspect was facilitating these shows from her residence in Barangay Sta. Cruz, Calape, Bohol,” the IJM said.

IJM-Cebu director of legal interventions Lucille Dejito emphasized that active law enforcement is needed “to bring online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC) incidents [to] the surface.” – Rappler.com

*$1 = P50.75