Two Filipino boys, one girl rescued from sex trafficking - US Embassy

Using information from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, two Filipino boys and one Filipina girl have been rescued from sex trafficking by local authorities. 

According to a news release of the US Embassy in Manila on Thursday, the three children were rescued from a location being used for a web-based service that streams illegal sexual acts.

The rescued Filipino children include two boys, aged 5 and 11, and a two-year-old girl.

The three children were among the 82 minors rescued as part of "Operation Cross Country" against underage human trafficking.

This operation is part of the FBI’s Innocence Lost Initiative that began in 2003 and helped identify 6,000 child victims and determine their locations. 

The operation is being conducted by the FBI along with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and other international law enforcement partners.

During the operation from October 13 to 16, 239 traffickers and their associates were arrested, including five adults from the Philippines.

The five adults "ran a web-streaming service for individuals who would pay for access to livestreaming sexual abuse, as well as access to the children for the purpose of illegal sexual acts," the embassy said, adding that investigation continues to identify other suspects.

The embassy said the FBI-led operation was conducted in various countries. In Southeast Asia, approximately 10 operations were carried out in six cities across Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines. 

FBI Director James Brien Comey Jr. said, “Operation Cross Country aims to shine a spotlight into the darkest corners of our society that seek to prey on the most vulnerable of our population.”  — Veronica Pulumbarit/RSJ, GMA News