The Hague, Netherlands — Dutch police said Thursday (Friday in Manila) they helped crack a child sex abuse ring in the Philippines offering babies as young as five months for “made-to-order” online paedophilia cases.
With the help of Australian officers, a Dutch policeman, who has been specially stationed in Manila to clampdown on child sex tourism, rescued 18 children in recent days offered for online sex shows by their families, police said in a statement.
“Buyers from all over the world, including in the Netherlands, were able to watch children being abused to order” via online chats using webcams, the police said.
“They indicated what they wanted to see, agreed on a price and could then watch the abuse directly by webcams.”
In the northern Philippines, five children aged between five months and 12 years old were offered for online sex shows by their parents and grandparents.
Prices averaged between 15 and 25 euros (P930 to P1,550) a show.
“But the buyers and those offering their children seemed to find abusing children the most normal thing in the world,” said Dutch liaison officer Farid El Hamouti, adding he had been shocked by the ease with which the abuse had been carried out.
Information gathered about those paying for the services has been shared with the authorities of the countries in which they live, the Dutch police added.
