Australian and Philippines police rescue 28 sexually-abused kids

SYDNEY/MANILA/DUBAI - The arrest of an Australian man in January last year has helped Philippine authorities identify and charge a 32-year-old man who headed a syndicate responsible for the alleged abuse of 111 children.

The man, a Philippine national, was extradited from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Manila in last month. He now faces charges including statutory rape, human trafficking, and violating laws related to the online exploitation of children under the Philippines Anti-Online Sexual Exploitation of Children and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Materials Act.

Authorities in the Philippines, through the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Centre (PICACC), revealed that 28 children have been rescued as part of the ongoing investigation. The PICACC, which was founded in 2019 through a joint effort between the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation, the Australian Federal Police (AFP,) the UK National Crime Agency, and the International Justice Mission, has been instrumental in combating child exploitation. The Netherlands Police joined the PICACC in 2021.

This investigation began after the AFP charged a 58-year-old man from Queensland, Australia, at Sydney International Airport on 7 January 2023. The man was returning from the Philippines when authorities allegedly found child abuse material and messages related to the abuse of children on his phone. The AFP claims the man was attempting to pay for access to children in the Philippines and has since charged him with multiple offences.

Further investigations by the PNP identified a Philippine national residing in the UAE as the key suspect in facilitating this abuse. INTERPOL issued a red notice to secure the suspect's arrest, leading to his recent extradition. Authorities allege the man led a syndicate responsible for the rape and abuse of at least 111 children, some as young as nine years old, and sold related materials to 19 individuals across ten countries via encrypted applications.

"This investigation underscores the power of international partnerships. The AFP provided key intelligence from the arrest of the Australian man in 2023, but the PNP's determination led to the identification of the perpetrator and the child victims," AFP Assistant Commissioner David McLean said in a statement Tuesday.

The AFP has been a key player in supporting the Philippine investigation, with liaison officers working between Manila and Dubai to facilitate discussions between the Philippine and UAE authorities.

The head of the PNP's Women and Children Protection Centre, Police General Brigadier Portia Manalad, praised the collaborative efforts, adding that the search for additional victims continues. "The rescue of 28 children so far would not have been possible without the continued collaboration between the AFP and the PNP. Our work is far from over as we continue to try and identify more victims," she said Tuesday.