The New Child Sex Boom

ABC Australia
Transcript

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: It’s nearly midnight in Manila. These police are searching for a seven-year-old girl. They’ve been trying to find her for months. They have evidence she has been sexually abused in videos available on the internet. These horrific crimes are happening all across the Philippines. We're following the teams who are trying desperately to track down the perpetrators and rescue children from abuse, even if it means ripping them away from their own families. Months of covert investigations have led them to this house. The Philippines government has declared a war on online sexual exploitation and abuse of children, but the scale of the fight ahead is staggering. In this unremarkable office in the Philippines national police headquarters these people are gathering to do one of the most difficult jobs imaginable.  They’re police and experts from the Philippines and around the world, and their task is to find, and rescue children who are being sexually abused, on demand, via the internet.

Caleb Carroll, a former US police detective, advises the anti-trafficking NGO, International Justice Mission, a founding member of this taskforce.

CALEB CARROLL, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INVESTIGATIONS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT DEVELOPMENT, INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION PHILIPPINES (2019-2022):  COVID drove everybody online, which just fuelled the crime type to grow.

"We’re going to do a follow up op on her then?"

Existing detection technology is just not capable of finding and blocking livestreaming sexual abuse.  It’s a really hard crime type; it's oftentimes very grotesque and violent, because you're talking about sexually motivated offenders getting to basically direct in real time the kind of abuse they want to see.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: The people paying for and watching the livestream abuse live thousands of kilometres away.

CALEB CARROLL: You see the most sexually motivated offenders coming out of the US and then in second place is Australia in almost every study.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: Natalie Roesler, is an Australian Federal police detective, and a key part of the taskforce. She spent ten years working on child sexual abuse cases in Australia before moving to Manila 12 months ago.  This morning, she is meeting with her colleagues to discuss a new case that has come from police in Australia.

POLICEWOMAN: They've got a recent arrest of a 50 year old male. They found that he had been communicating with a Philippines mobile phone number to a female facilitator of course, based here.

DETECTIVE LEADING SENIOR CONSTABLE NATALIE ROESLER, AFP CHILD PROTECTION ADVISOR: An offender might send a friend request or they might be on a dating app and they will connect to a facilitator. From there they negotiate for a child to be sexually abused, and that can be livestreamed, in the privacy of their own homes.

POLICEWOMAN:  So during that communication, the male talks about getting some videos of a girl the facilitator has access to who is reportedly only 12 years old.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: How many cases would you and the team be working on now?

DETECTIVE LEADING SENIOR CONSTABLE NATALIE ROESLER : We have probably about between 50 to 60 active cases at the moment.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: Why do you think such a high volume of Australian offenders are targeting the Philippines?

DETECTIVE LEADING SENIOR CONSTABLE NATALIE ROESLER:   A lot of the population speak English quite well which makes it easy for the offenders to communicate and to text and negotiate.

POLICEWOMAN: They sent through photos of the facilitator from social media accounts.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: This team of three is a critical part of the chain that connects offenders in Australia with victims in the Philippines.

POLICEWOMAN: And we have also got images of our male sending financial payments. Nat, if you can look through financials, just to see whether we can confirm the location of the facilitator in the Philippines..

DETECTIVE LEADING SENIOR CONSTABLE NATALIE ROESLER:  The facilitators can be anyone that has access to children;  people that live next door; their neighbours, people that know them and are close to them. But, sadly, a lot of the time the facilitators can be their parents.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: It’s 7am and the taskforce has had a breakthrough in a case they have been working on for months.

POLICE COLONEL ANGELA REJANO, OFFICER-IN-CHARGE, WOMEN AND CHILDREN PROTECTION CENTRE ANTI-TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS DIVISION: The case officer will brief us on the update.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: They’ve been analysing videos from the internet of a seven-year-old girl – who we will call Jolene – being sexually abused.

POLICE LIEUTENANT COLONEL RAHUL BOLIDO, ASSISTANT CHIEF, ANTI-TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS DIVISION: With the help of the Dutch police and Australian federal police we conducted online open source surveillance after this we conducted ground surveillance and we were able to locate this residence.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: Police believe her mum's boyfriend made and sold the abuse videos, and now they know where to find him.

COLONEL PORTIA MANALAD, OFFICER-IN-CHARGE, WOMEN AND CHILDREN PROTECTION CENTER:  Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division: We will be filing the search warrant before we can pursue the search on the identified location.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: As the team prepares the paperwork for a warrant application, their boss, Colonel Portia Manalad attends to the many other cases on her desk.

COLONEL PORTIA MANALAD, OFFICER-IN-CHARGE, WOMEN AND CHILDREN PROTECTION CENTER: These cases are very sensitive, especially if it involves children. It takes a long time before you can come up with definite answers. You need to have some patience because everything can change overnight.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: Colonel Angela Rejano is in charge of what happens next.

Is it just one facilitator or is there multiple?

POLICE COLONEL ANGELA REJANO, OFFICER-IN-CHARGE, WOMEN AND CHILDREN PROTECTION CENTRE ANTI-TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS DIVISION: It can be more than one, but the confirmed target is already there. So we just wait.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: International cooperation has been key to catching perpetrators and rescuing children.  In one case, a single lead led the task force to find 15 victims and five facilitators, and landed the Australian offender in jail for 15 years, for offences related to sexual activity on the internet.

DETECTIVE LEADING SENIOR CONSTABLE NATALIE ROESLER:  So this is a case that originated in South Australia. A male was stopped by Australian Border Force and they identified that he had child abuse material on one of his phones. They executed a search warrant on his home.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: The man’s name is Ian Schapel.

POLICE OFFICER: You said there's images on that computer. Describe those images to me.

IAN SCHAPEL:  Well they are not violent, they are not having sex, they are just nude images.

POLICE OFFICER: How old would you say those images of those girls are?

IAN SCHAPEL: Thirteen, fourteen.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: Among the more than 55,000 videos and images Schapel had, were some horrific footage of sexual acts involving children.

DETECTIVE LEADING SENIOR CONSTABLE NATALIE ROESLER:  Some of the chat logs in this case are probably some of the worst that I've read.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER:  Detective Roesler shows us the extremely revealing Skype chat logs between Schapel and Philippines facilitators.

This one here, where he says he says age is no problem to me, and then she says my 5 year old. Is that OK with you? So there's a 5 year old child being offered up here?

DETECTIVE LEADING SENIOR CONSTABLE NATALIE ROESLER: That's right. And then she sends an image of a small child, clothed. And he said let me watch her get undressed for me. Give me a show.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: Schapel paid as little as 40 Australian dollars to watch his victims be sexually abused and exploited.

DETECTIVE LEADING SENIOR CONSTABLE NATALIE ROESLER: They will go back and forward discussing the price.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER:  So they barter like you would for something in a market?

DETECTIVE LEADING SENIOR CONSTABLE NATALIE ROESLER: Yeah, absolutely correct for children to be sexually abused and they're bartering for it. They will often ask if an offender can just give money now, show later because, they want to put food on the table. In this case, this lady is constantly asking for money because she's in dire need of some money, but he won't.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: His youngest victim was just three years old.  It’s now 10am; the taskforce looking for Jolene is on the move. We're heading now to court where police are going to ask a judge to approve a search warrant. It’s possible that they won't approve it. But if they do, that means that police can go to the location, try and arrest the alleged offender and rescue any children they might find inside. Cases like these are so sensitive many of those working on them just don’t want to be identified.

So this doesn't guarantee the arrest. This is just for a search?

LAWYER: Yes, the purpose for this application is for search.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: This lawyer has been up all night writing the warrant application.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: What's the likelihood that the judge will accept the application?

LAWYER: It's really hard to say. It will depend on the pieces of evidence that the police officers will present before the judge.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: Investigators have been working around the clock on this case, now they have to present their evidence to the judge. As the hearing drags on, they become more and more anxious. We’ve been waiting here at the court for nearly five hours for the judge to make a decision on whether or not they’re going to issue the search warrant. One of the police officers who doesn’t want to speak on camera said that this is one of the worst cases they’ve ever seen. And that makes you realise that every moment that ticks by is another moment that this child is potentially vulnerable to abuse. There is one thing a police officer has told me that I just can’t get out of my head: that in the videos they’ve seen, Jolene keeps crying, and begging for the abuse to stop. At 7pm, they finally have a decision.

LAWYER: The judge granted the warrant application.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: That took about eight hours; how are you feeling?

LAWYER: Very relieved. Our law enforcement partners are very happy.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: Police put the plan for the raid into action.

POLICE LIEUTENANT COLONEL RAHUL BOLIDO: In 10 minutes we go. The most important thing is to locate the victims.

POLICE COLONEL ANGELA REJANO, OFFICER-IN-CHARGE, WOMEN AND CHILDREN PROTECTION CENTRE ANTI-TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS DIVISION: Arresting officer, marked vehicle and security go here. Officers, you'll ride in the marked vehicle.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: It’s nearly midnight when the investigators head to the suspect’s house.

POLICEMAN: Where is she? Where is the daughter?

SUSPECT: I don’t know. I don't know, she got a job and moved out.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: Police have gone into this house and they have found the suspect that they were looking for, but they haven’t found the child.   To arrest the suspect, police need to find child sexual abuse material in his possession.

POLICE OFFICER: The problem is how to export it, because it’s a Chinese phone.

POLICE LIEUTENANT COLONEL RAHUL BOLIDO, ASSISTANT CHIEF, ANTI-TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS DIVISION: We declare his arrest.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: So you found a device with more child abuse material in the evidence. What sort of scale of abuse are we talking about, how bad?

POLICE LIEUTENANT COLONEL RAHUL BOLIDO, ASSISTANT CHIEF, ANTI-TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS DIVISION: Well, it's disgusting, I can’t explain thoroughly.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: Jolene is most likely with her mother, who police believe also participated in the abuse.

CALEB CARROLL, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INVESTIGATIONS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT DEVELOPMENT, INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION PHILIPPINES (2019-2022): The really hard thing is that you leave work every day, knowing there are still more children out there that you know about. And it's heartbreaking because they may not know that anybody's even out there looking for them, even though we're trying.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: In a quiet part of Manila, there is a special shelter for children who are saved from this catastrophic abuse where they can start to piece together their shattered lives

CHILD: "Jessa!"

JESSA LAZARTE, SENIOR SOCIAL WORKER, INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION: "Oh she remembers me!"

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: Jessa Lazarte is a social worker who's often one of the first people on the scene when a child is found during a police operation.

JESSA LAZARTE, SENIOR SOCIAL WORKER, INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION : Although I'm trained as a social worker when you hear their stories, how they were livestream, how long did they stay in that kind of abuse, how their own mother abused them, exploited them, manipulated them. It's difficult.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: The moment of rescue is often deeply traumatic for children.

JESSA LAZARTE, SENIOR SOCIAL WORKER, INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION: Rescue operations are often stressful for survivors, especially for very young survivors who may not understand right away why they are being separated from their parents or family members. But we've also seen that some survivors are grateful, are relieved.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: Often, kids want to know when they'll be reunited with family members not facing charges.

JESSA LAZARTE, SENIOR SOCIAL WORKER, INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION: In our experience, livestreaming of child abuse and sexual exploitation have been normalised at their home. And because it's the people  that they  trust, the victims are less strong. It's difficult for them to recover. We can't give them promise when they can go home. That's the usual question. When can they be unified with other victims, when can they see their family. Just normal. And yeah, they won't easily trust, so it's important that we don't give up on them.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: These investigations take their toll on everyone involved.  As a veteran officer, Colonel Portia Manalad has seen many times what happens when children are found and taken away from their parents.

COLONEL PORTIA MANALAD, OFFICER-IN-CHARGE, WOMEN AND CHILDREN PROTECTION CENTER: With Filipinos, the family ties is very closely knit. So when the child is taken away from the parents is really very hard. Every time I am in uniform, I should be tough. I'm also a parent, so I wish that every time I hold them, rescue them and arrest those parents, I wish I was in civilian clothes. It’s my 32 years already in the service and if you ask me which part of my career is very hard, it's this - the women and children. It's women and children.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: Over the past four years, the taskforce has rescued nearly 600 victims and charged 120 facilitators.

ATTORNEY CATHY NOLASCO, CHIEF, NATIONAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION ANTI-HUMAN TRAFFICKING DIVISION:  "Have you engaged them?"

OFFICER: "The exact location is in Cebu."

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: Attorney Cathy Nolasco heads up an anti-trafficking division that is part of the taskforce.

ATTORNEY CATHY NOLASCO, CHIEF, NATIONAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION ANTI-HUMAN TRAFFICKING DIVISION: This is actually a supply and demand thing. There's a demand, so the parents here are providing the supply. So if we could work on the demand, maybe we could put a stop on this.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER:  How common is it that facilitators say they're motivated by poverty?

ATTORNEY CATHY NOLASCO: It’s actually very common, because if we go through to the places where we actually conduct these operations, the places are most often than not, poverty stricken.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: Do you believe that these facilitators have no alternatives?

ATTORNEY CATHY NOLASCO: Of course that's not true because we all have options. They should be the one providing for the needs of the children, not the other way around.

CALEB CARROLL: I think we need to be really careful when we say that poverty drives people to do this, because I don't think that's fair to the people of the Philippines. And I don't think that's fair to the millions of parents and family members in abject poverty around the world that would do everything other than harm their children.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: Cathy Nolasco’s team regularly conducts raids. Three weeks ago her team arrested a woman that we will call Marie.

ATTORNEY CATHY NOLASCO: She is engaged in selling her children for online sex. Offering her children for a fee so that her children would be engaged in sexual activities online with foreigners.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: They found key pieces of evidence.

ATTORNEY CATHY NOLASCO: Did find the mobile phones and pocket wifis and some sex toys and also we found some receipts, evidence that she was offering her children to other foreigners.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: I still find it unfathomable how a parent could sell their child for sexual abuse, but now I have the rare chance to find out. Marie has agreed to speak with me at the detention centre where she is being held.

"Are you worried about your children?"

MARIE: This is first time to happen to us that they are far from me. I am far from my family. This is the first time.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER:  What went through your mind when the police officers came to arrest you?

MARIE Nothing Angry.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER:  Angry?

MARIE: Afraid and angry.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: Why were you angry?

MARIE: Of the situation. Being poor. It's not easy. Sorry.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: Take your time. You're saying it's because of poverty?

MARIE:  When pandemic start, all of us lost our jobs.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: You were arrested for these crimes towards the end of 2022, the lockdown was over and you continued to do this. How do you explain that?

MARIE: Just to survive. Rather than see my kid sleep with an empty stomach. Rather than see my mum, brother, sister like that. Sleeping with stomachs empty.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER: Marie is facing life in prison.

It's very hard for me to understand as a mother how you could do this to your children.

MARIE:  Maybe because we are not the same. We are not in the same situation. That's why you don't understand. You have not been there, what we've been through to stay alive. Maybe when you're in my situation, for sure you going to understand me.

STEPHANIE MARCH, REPORTER:  That was a lot more complicated than I expected. She clearly really misses her kids, and she seemed very emotional when she was saying she did this only because she needed money. I think the one thing I’m stuck with now is the realisation that this crime just destroys families.  For the police who spend their lives trying to save these children, who ride a constant wave of successes and setbacks, these are the moments they hold onto.

DETECTIVE LEADING SENIOR CONSTABLE NATALIE ROESLER, AFP CHILD PROTECTION ADVISOR:  We've got some donations between Philippine National Police PNP and the AFP so that we could come out and visit the shelter here.  

CHILD CARE WORKER: "Yay! It's like we're shopping."

DETECTIVE LEADING SENIOR CONSTABLE NATALIE ROESLER, AFP CHILD PROTECTION ADVISOR:  It is the best part of my job. That's why I'm here. And sometimes you get a little bit emotional because you can see how much they love what we're giving them when they're riding around on the bikes or even just putting a pair of earrings in. It's amazing. It feels my heart up and it's why we're here. It's  a highlight of my day.

COLONEL PORTIA MANALAD, OFFICER-IN-CHARGE, WOMEN AND CHILDREN PROTECTION CENTER: I feel because I have children also as a mother, I can feel their happiness. I can also feel their loneliness. The feelings that they have right now is mixed emotion. maybe limited love. They've at least for a day or for an hour, they, get it from us. So for me, it's a wonderful thing no, words can explain.

CALEB CARROLL, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INVESTIGATIONS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT DEVELOPMENT, INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION PHILIPPINES (2019-2022): This isn't some far off problem. These are the same sexually motivated offenders that want to hurt your children. The offenders are living next door to you and I, So I think if I could send any message to an Australian or a Brit or American that's watching this or from anywhere is that while we're talking about the Philippines, this is a problem that originates in our neighbourhoods with people that we know and that have access to our children. And are we okay with that? We need to ask ourselves that. I'm not.