For the low cost of $15, pedophiles in Australia are making children in the Philippines perform sexual acts which they then livestream.
According to the head of the Australian federal police team in Manila, Australian pedophiles are paying $15 to make children perform sexual acts in the Philippines while being filmed. Andrew Perkins, a senior officer of the federal police said there was an “alarming shift” from what used to be more common types of “sex tourism” to “convenient and low risk” online abuse of children which can be catered to the specific requirements of the customer. Perkins explains, “It includes the development of live online sexual abuse in pay-per-view. Online child sexual exploitation is one of the most alarming forms of human trafficking in the Philippines.” The Philippines has become a prime target for Australia’s pedophiles due to the English speaking population and similar time zone. They are able to locate victims among low-income families desperate to make a living. For the pedophiles, the online nature has made it very simple for them as all they need is a webcam, internet access for live streaming and access to a remittance facility to receive payments. Perkins further added that the pedophiles pay anywhere from $15 to $500 for the children. The price is dependant on variations in age of the victim, number of victims, number of viewers and the nature of the abuse. Perkins explained, “Combating child exploitation within Australia and offshore is a key priority for the Australian federal police.” He added that the work is time-consuming and resource intensive. He explained, “Providing the required proof or probable cause for authorities overseas to action intelligence provided by law enforcement is often difficult.” The problem is that collecting evidence can sometimes become problematic because the perpetrators have taken advantage of encrypted communications while purchasing shows. They also don’t usually download or store the illegal material anywhere. Offenders may also purchase live adult shows, which is legal in Australia, in an effort to conceal the activities involving children. Close cooperation between the AFP team in Manila and local counterparts has resulted in some progress. Perkins explained that with continued cooperation between both countries, it is likely that more arrests will be taking place. This is following the arrest of a alleged pedophile in Sydney which resulted in the rescue of a 12 year old girl in the Philippines. The mother of the victim, who facilitated her exploitation was also arrested. Although the children are typically abused within their own families or by close friends, Australians have also been caught as facilitators in the Philippines. A man by the name of Peter Gerard Scully who was labelled ‘Australia’s Worst Pedophile’ used to run a pedophile ring in the Philippines. In 2018, he was found guilty of one count of human trafficking and five counts of rape. In March 2018, the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation was established with the aim of facilitating cooperation between the federal government and state governments, NGO’s and the private sector in restraining pedophiles. Laws were implemented to cancel and seize passports of registered sex offenders, however, according to Perkins this is “likely to have increased the prevalence of Australian perpetrators exploiting children online”. Furthermore, banks were required to report transactions linked to “child exploitation typologies” in an effort to halt the production of child abuse materials by curbing the payments that drive the crime. In February of this year, a centre was established in Manila to facilitate international cooperation called the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Centre. This centre bought together the Philippine national police, Australian federal police, UK’s National Crime Agency and US-based global anti-trafficking group International Justice Mission. Colonel Sheila Portento, the Chief of the Philippine national police division that deals with people trafficking said, “The greatest weapon of the Philippine law enforcement in combating this crime is our strong cooperation with our foreign law enforcement partners. They refer cases to us, which we work on to arrest facilitators and rescue victims. Likewise, we also help them identify perpetrators from their end.” The ongoing challenge for law enforcement agencies is how to be a step ahead of perpetrators who are constantly devising plans to ensure that their operations remain undetected. “We’re completely committed to lessen the threat that these [people] pose to children in the Philippines,” Perkins said. Keep up to date with more news at ProperGaanda: Imran Khan to recieve Bahrain’s highest civil award after Modi