Australian man charged with livestreaming child abuse
Summary:
An Australian man has just been charged with directing the livestreamed abuse of five children, as young as six years old, and an adult (who traffickers portrayed as a child) in the Philippines.
The 68-year-old man was arrested in January after Australian Border Force officers allegedly found child abuse material on his phone.
Authorities found video calls from the man to traffickers in the Philippines, telling them to livestream the sexual abuse of children.
Australian investigators referred their findings to relevant authorities in the Philippines. Police operations in April led to the arrest of two suspected female traffickers.
Two girls, confirmed as victims, and one adult victim were brought to safety in separate operations, along with three at-risk children.
IJM supported both operations, providing the police with logistical and technical assistance. IJM also trains Philippine law enforcers on investigations and organises mentoring sessions, which benefited investigators involved in these operations.
IJM Philippines’ Director Samson Inocencio Jr commended the Philippines police and Australian law enforcement for effectively working together to hold perpetrators accountable, from both the “demand” and “supply” sides.
"This crime thrives because there is demand from offenders abroad.
"I urge the governments of countries where demand comes from, and their citizens, to help safeguard the wellbeing of Filipino children by holding accountable not only the offenders but also those who operate platforms where exploitation occurs. Tech and financial institutions must ensure safety-by-design in their products and services."
Learn more about IJM’s work to protect children from online sexual exploitation >>
*Photo provided by Philippine National Police’s Women and Children Protection Center – Mindanao Field Unit (PNP WCPC-MFU).