Two sisters nabbed for online child sexual exploitation

Inquirer file photo

MANILA, Philippines — Two sisters were nabbed in Caloocan City for allegedly engaging in child sexual exploitation online, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said on Tuesday.

According to the NBI, the two arrested sisters were facilitators whom they caught red-handed while making the children perform sexual acts for money in an entrapment operation on August 2.

“Interviews with the minor victims revealed that they were not only shown naked on camera but were also forced to perform sexual acts with one another, sibling to sibling, cousin to cousin, mother to son/daughter while on camera and being viewed live by foreigners,” the report said.

READ: 4 minors rescued from cybersex den run by own parents

In the same operation, NBI operatives rescued six minor victims, including a two-month-old baby.

In a statement on Tuesday, NBI Director Jaime Santiago said the investigation stemmed from the information they received from foreign counterparts, revealing that one of the sisters had direct communication with foreign clients while her sibling made Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Materials (CSAEM).

The information was later confirmed after the NBI-Violence Against Women and Children Division conducted surveillance operations, thus leading to the implementation of a warrant to search, seize, and examine computer data.

The initial digital forensic report also found hundreds of CSAEM and sexual chat conversations with foreigners on the suspects’ cellular phones.

The NBI said the suspects are facing complaints on violations of Republic Act (RA) 11930 (Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials Act), qualified trafficking under RA 9208 as amended by RA 11862 (Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2022), child abuse law under RA 7610 (Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act) and rape by sexual assaults under RA 8353 (Anti-Rape Law of 1997). —Arianne Denisse Cagsawa, INQUIRER.net intern