LAPU-LAPU CITY – Two women, arrested in Mar 2019 for human trafficking and online sexual exploitation of innocent children, were convicted by a local court, according to Police Women and Children Protection Center-Visayas Field Unit.
It said the duo, whose names were not made public, were among five people arrested during a police undercover operation here.
Online child sexual exploitation includes a wide range of behaviors and situations. Most commonly this includes grooming, live streaming, consuming child sexual abuse material, and coercing and blackmailing children for sexual purposes. This could include: An adult engaging a child in a chat about sexual acts.
Undercover members of the WCPC said the traffickers offered to sexually abuse the children and stream this online in exchange for money from online predators.
During the operations, police rescued 11 minors ages 2, 6, 7 and 12 from three simultaneous raids.The conviction came after the two women pleaded guilty to online sexual exploitation of the children.
The convicts will each face 15 years imprisonment and must pay P500,000 in fines. The court also ordered each to pay an additional P500,000 in moral damages and P100,000 for exemplary damages.
The three other accused pleaded not guilty of the offenses filed against them and will have to face court trial.
Lapu-Lapu City Assistant Prosecutor Antonio Aseniero lauded the conviction of the two women in the government’s fight against online sexual exploitation of children. “With God's guidance and the help of the community, such as the IJM (International Justice Mission), anything and everything is possible,” he said.
Lawyer Lucille Dejito, Director of the IJM-Cebu field office, said: “With the two suspects pleading guilty for other offenses such as attempted trafficking, their victims can now be assured that justice has finally prevailed.” (John Rey Saavedra)
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