The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday announced plans to prosecute Filipinos involved in the case of a French sex offender, who was recently found guilty of exploiting young girls from the Philippines.
This development came following a significant legal victory after Bouhalem Bouchiba, a graphic artist who worked for major animation studios, was sentenced to 25 years in jail for ordering the livestreamed rape of hundreds of preteen girls in the Philippines.
The DOJ said it aims to investigate the Filipino facilitators, as well as improve and institutionalize the information sharing and collaboration among law enforcement agencies across different countries.
Pieces of evidence presented in court revealed a disturbing pattern of behavior, where the defendant was convicted of paying two women in the Philippines between 2012 and 2021 to rape and sexually
assault girls as young as 5 to 10 years old, which was 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.
The DOJ is also exploring stronger collaborations with wire transfer services and social media platforms to prevent illegal child exploitation content and access to harmful sites.
“This case sends a powerful message that child exploitation, whether online or offline, will not be tolerated. 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 Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla.
Remulla cited the importance of a “whole-of-nation” approach to fight human trafficking, emphasizing that non-government organizations, international partners, telecommunications companies, and private citizens must all be involved in the effort to combat online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC).
The DOJ, alongside National Coordination Center Against OSAEC and CSAEM (Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials), is now working closely with the PNP-Women and Children Protection Center.
