Iligan mother arrested after offering online abuse of daughter, aged eight

Iligan

A woman has been arrested in Iligan after offering to sexually abuse her eight-year-old daughter and stream it live on the Internet.

Agents of the police’s Women and Children Protection Center (WCPC) carried out the entrapment operation at the suspect’s home at about 10am yesterday (Thursday, June 27).

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Aside from her daughter, police and social workers also rescued the suspect’s three-year-old niece who had also been sexually exploited for payment.

Authorities also removed the suspect’s four-month baby, as well as an 11-year-old girl whose relationship to the suspect could not be confirmed. All four children are now in the protective custody of the Iligan City Social Welfare and Development Office.

The 28-year old suspect had been under surveillance since March after the police learned that she was engaged in selling pornographic materials that involved children.

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At her home, police found receipts from money transfers made by a foreign contact. The suspect later told police that she had transmitted sexually explicit materials involving children in exchange for money from a foreign customer.

Colonel Christine Tan, who led yesterday’s raid, said: “The Philippines has maintained its Tier 1 status in the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report this year as a result of collaborative efforts exerted by WCPC, other law enforcement agencies, non-government organisations, local government units and other private individuals to end human trafficking. The recent accomplishment of WCPC-MFU is a result of our extensive collaboration with partner agencies and the recently concluded training that capacitated and equipped PNP’s online investigators. We will not stop working to end human trafficking.” 

Online sexual exploitation is prohibited under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act or Republic Act 9208 (as amended by RA 10364), which comes with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of up to five million pesos.

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Most online sexual exploitation offences also violate RA 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012) and RA 9775 (Anti‐Child Pornography Act of 2009). Both have penalties of up to 40 years imprisonment. 

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