Recent convictions “deter and disrupt online sex offenders”

The first three months of 2020 have seen successful convictions and sentencing of online sex offenders, thanks to ongoing collaboration by international law enforcement, including Australian police.

Taguig City conviction – Danish National Police referral

On 3 March 2020 in Taguig City, a mother pleaded guilty and was sentenced to serve a minimum of 17 years in prison for attempted trafficking of her own children. For violating the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act and the Anti-Child Pornography Act, Judge Byron San Pedro sentenced her to serve 15 years in prison and a fine of 500,000 pesos (about A$15,200) for the first offence, and a minimum of two years in prison and a fine of 100,000 pesos (about A$3,000) for the second offence.

Her two children, a male and female both under 12 years old, were rescued on 11 December 2019 by operatives from the NBI-AHTRAD, which stemmed from a case referral from the Danish National Police to the Philippines Internet Crimes Against Children Center (PICACC).

Cebu City sentencing – AFP referral

On 10 March 2020, the Cebu City Regional Trial Court sentenced 34-year-old Joey Michael Donozo to serve a minimum of 31 years in prison after confessing (in a plea bargain) to attempted trafficking of two boys ages 9 and 14, alongside 16 acts of lasciviousness involving multiple young boys. In addition, Donozo is to pay 600,000 pesos (about A$18,600) to each of his six victims resulting in a total of $3.6 million pesos (approximately A$111,700) in damages. The investigation revealed that Donozo sexually abused boys to produce Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM), which he distributed to foreign sex offenders, and also sold young boys to foreigners travelling to Cebu.

Donozo was arrested on 16 February 2019, after he offered two underage boys – aged 9 and 14 at the time – for commercial sexual exploitation. He also previously transmitted online sexually explicit images involving one of the boys in exchange for money from foreigners.  

Members of the Women and Children Protection Center (WCPC) of the Philippine National Police conducted the operation in Cebu City, rescuing of six boys, all under the age of 15. The operation stemmed from a case referral from the Australian Federal Police indicating Donozo was engaged in sex trafficking of minors by selling young Filipino boys to foreigners for sexually explicit acts. Donozo also produced Child Sexual Abuse Materials by filming minors in sexually explicit acts.

Norway – two demand-side convictions

On 18 February, Norway’s criminal justice system convicted and sentenced two child sex offenders who directed and paid Filipino traffickers to sexually abuse Filipino children and live stream the abuse to the foreigners in Norway. The victimised children were in Bacolod City and Bulacan Province.

One of the Norwegian offenders was sentenced to serve at least 19 years in prison, while the other was sentenced to at least 16 years in prison.  

“Strong international law enforcement coordination ensures that online sex offenders from demand-side countries like Norway and local traffickers from source countries like the Philippines will not go unpunished … We urge other demand-side countries to strengthen sentencing for this crime to disrupt and deter online sex offenders from preying on our children,” said IJM Philippines Director Samson Inocencio.

The offenders – arrested in 2016 and 2017, respectively – were convicted of serious and aggravated sexual abuse of children between the ages of 10 months and 15 years from the Philippines, Romania and Madagascar. One of the Norwegian offenders was also convicted of human trafficking for his crimes.

Celebrating the work of PICACC

Also in March, PICACC celebrated its first year of interagency partnership to combat cybersex trafficking of children. Since launching on 27 February 2019, PICACC has conducted 41 operations, leading to the rescue of 136 victims and at-risk children, and the arrest of 41 suspected local cybersex traffickers. Three traffickers have been convicted and 36 are in legal proceedings still to be completed.

Overall, through IJM-supported cases, more than 80 people have been convicted in the Philippines for cybersex trafficking since 2011. IJM has supported Philippine law enforcement agencies in operations leading to the arrest of more that 200 cybersex trafficking perpetrators and the rescue of almost 600 victims and children-at-risk across the country.

Read about a series of operations in February leading to the rescue of 8 children and a baby.

*The child depicted above is not a survivor of cybersex trafficking or an IJM client.