The Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Tuesday, Nov. 5, it is coordinating closely with money service businesses and social media platforms in its fight against online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC).
“The government will continue to work diligently with international partners to ensure that offenders are brought to justice and that our children are safeguarded from such crimes,” said DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla.
The DOJ issued the statement after a court in France sentenced to 25 years in prison Bouhalem Bouchiba, 59, a French graphic artist who worked with Pixar and Disney, for having ordered the livestreamed rape of hundreds of preteen girls in the Philippines between 2012 and 2021.
“This case sends a powerful message that child exploitation, whether online or offline, will not be tolerated,” Remulla said.
The DOJ said Bouchiba paid two women in the Philippines for the rape and sexual assault of girls as young as five to 10 years. The rape and assaults were recorded and shared on various online platforms.
“Authorities were alerted when Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, sent an alert about suspicious money transfers to the Philippines,” it said.
It said it has been working with the National Coordination Center Against OSAEC and Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM), and the Philippine National Police (PNP) “to investigate the case and prosecute the Filipino facilitators, as well as to improve and institutionalize the information sharing and collaboration among law enforcement agencies across different countries.”
At the same time, the DOJ urged the public to report to authorities cases of OSAEC and CSAEM.