NORTHERN Luzon–Philippine law enforcement, together with their foreign counterparts, showed that they are serious in their fight against online child sexual exploitation through inter-agency cooperation.This was exemplified through a rescue operation carried out in the municipality of Capas, Tarlac on March 3, 2022, wherein they were able to rescue two female minors aged 15 and 12.The rescue operation happened less than a week after the third anniversary of the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Center, a cooperation among local and international law enforcement agencies, namely, the Philippine National Police’s Women and Children Protection Center (PNP-WCPC), the National Bureau of Investigation’s Anti-Human-Trafficking Division (NBI-AHTRAD), the Australian Federal Police (AFP), and the United Kingdom National Crime Agency (UK NCA), in partnership with non-government organization International Justice Mission (IJM).The case originated from a referral by the Austrian police concerning an Austrian national who was the recipient of 100 to 150 videos and 500 pictures that showed sexual exploitation of children from 2017 up until February 2021.The referral was sent to the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Center (Picacc) and was consequently assigned to the NBI-AHTRAD for a follow-up investigation.NBI-AHTRAD’s investigation revealed that there were two Filipina nationals who communicated with the Austrian-based male offender, sending him child exploitative materials in exchange for money.The Austrian suspect traveled to the Philippines in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and met with the suspects together with the minor victims.Based on the intelligence report, the two minors were most likely in the custody and control of the two suspects because it was revealed that they are related to each other.One of the identified victims is the biological daughter of one of the two female suspects.Both victims were immediately taken into government custody by the social workers after rescue and they were transported to Metro Manila for appropriate turnover to a specialized shelter.The Municipal Social Workers Development Office (MSWDO) of Capas, Tarlac, the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (Iacat) and International Justice Mission (IJM) supported the operation.Lawyer Janet Francisco, chief of NBI-AHTRAD, expressed her gratitude, saying: “I am very grateful for the sustained partnership between the Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development, International Justice Mission, and Austrian police that work alongside with us in the fight against the online sexual exploitation of children. Through these strong partnerships we were able to identify and rescue these two girls from online sexual exploitation.”For his part, lawyer Reynaldo Bicol Jr., director of IJM Manila Field Office, commended their law enforcement partners at NBI “for their relentless efforts to rescue and protect children amidst a pandemic.”“A strong justice system seeks perpetrator accountability, creates deterrence, and protects, not only the children rescued, but also countless others who will never be abused,” he said. (PR)