2 Caloocan sisters nabbed for exploitation of children

MANILA: Two sisters engaged in online sexual exploitation of children have been charged before prosecutors, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said Wednesday. In a press briefing, NBI Director Jaime Santiago said the NBI-Violence Against Women and Children Division (NBI-VAWCD) arrested the two Filipina facilitators in an entrapment operation and implementation of Warrant to Search, Seize and Examine Computer Data (WSSECD) in Caloocan City on Aug. 2. Their names were not disclosed to protect the identity of their victims who were their children. Santiago said the two directly communicated with various foreign nationals and produced child sexual abuse and exploitation materials (CSAEMs). Through surveillance operations, the VAWCD operatives traced and located the place where the facilitators resided and their real identities were uncovered. Armed with a warrant issued by the Family Court Branch 1 of Caloocan City, VAWCD operatives hatched an entrapment operation to arrest the facilitators and to re scue the minor victims being offered. In the course of the operation, VAWCD rescued six minor victims aged 14 (boy and girl), 10 (girl), 7 (girl), 2 years (girl), and 2 months (girl). The minor victims said they were shown naked on camera and forced to perform sexual acts with one another while on camera and being viewed live by foreigners. 'These disclosures from the minor victims were confirmed by our medical legal doctors who found several fresh and old abrasions in the private parts of our female victims. Initial Digital Forensic reports revealed hundreds of CSAEM and sexual chat conversation in the cellular phones of the subjects with foreigners,' Santiago said. Cases of multiple counts of Violation of Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) or Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) under RA 11930, Qualified Trafficking under RA9208 as amended by RA11862, Child Abuse law under RA7610, and Rape by sexual assaults under RA 8353 as amended, were filed against the suspects a t the Department Justice. Source: Philippines News Agency