Inside a dilapidated wooden home in Iligan City, Philippines, three children were rescued from cybersex trafficking as authorities arrested a mother and her accomplice.

During last week’s operation—the law enforcement unit’s first of the new year—police and social workers also brought three other children out of the home and into safety.

All of the children were younger than 10.

Senior Inspector Rassel L. Tuliao affirmed his unit’s mandate to protect vulnerable women and children, saying, “The Philippine National Police will use all our resources and might to preserve women and children’s value.”

Tuliao continues,

“We are on the side of the weak, needy and vulnerable. Protecting the dignity of our children is not just a work to do by the law enforcement, but it is a role of every person to ensure that our children will have a brighter future.”

A Global Crime Threatens Filipino Children

Cybersex trafficking is the live-streamed sexual exploitation of children viewed over the internet. Predators anywhere in the world—including Australia—can now search online and wire a secure payment to an adult who sets up the show. The Philippines receives thousands of cybersex trafficking case referrals every month from the U.S. alone.

IJM is working with Philippine authorities and international law enforcement to protect children in the Philippines, and to develop a replicable model that can stop cybersex trafficking from spreading globally.

Click here to learn more about cybersex trafficking.