Two girls were rescued from online sexual exploitation activities in Capas, Tarlac last March 3, the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) said.

In a statement, IACAT said the two girls – 12 and 15 years old – were rescued during the operation conducted by the Philippine National Police’s Women and Children Protection Center (PNP-WCPC), the National Bureau of Investigation’s Anti-Human-Trafficking Division (NBI-AHTRAD), the Austrian Federal Police (AFP), and the United Kingdom National Crime Agency (UK NCA).

“Both victims were immediately taken into government custody by the social workers after rescue and were transported to Metro Manila for appropriate turn-over to a specialized shelter,” the council said.

It said the “case originated from a referral by the Austrian Police concerning an Austrian national who was the recipient of 100 to 150 videos and 500 pictures that showed sexual exploitation of children from 2017 up until February 2021.”

It said the referral was sent to the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Center (PICACC) and then assigned to the NBI-AHTRAD for a follow up investigation.

During its investigation, the NBI-AHTRAD learned “there were two (2) Filipina nationals who communicated with the Austrian-based male offender, sending him child exploitative materials in exchange for money.”

“The Austrian suspect travelled to the Philippines in 2017, 2018 and 2019 where he met with the suspects together with the minor victims,” IACAT said.

It added that the NBI-AHTRAD found that the two girls were in the custody of the two women, one of whom is the biological mother of one of the girls.

The IACAT statement did not say if arrests were made during the operation.