Police rescue 4 children from cybersex den in Tarlac

Authorities in Capas, Tarlac have rescued four children who fell victims to online sexual exploitation.

"Balitanghali" reported Saturday that the children were made to strip naked before a webcam for $100, from online customers who were all foreigners.

Senior Superintendent Villamor Tuliao of the Capas Police said that parents are the ones exploiting their children, pimping them to online customers.

"Ang mga magulang mismo nila ang nag-e-exploit sa mga bata because of the wrong perception that there is no physical contact in the online sex trade," Villamor added.

Online sexual exploitation in the Philippines, according to the national police, is already alarming as younger and younger children-victims are being involved and their parents push them into the online sexual trade.

Citing a study of the International Justice Mission (IJM), a group helping in efforts to stop child exploitation, Balitanghali said that the Philippines has now become the center of online sex trade in the Southeast Asia.

In 2016 alone, the IJM rescued 158 children who had fallen victims to the online sex trade.

On the other hand, Villamor blamed Filipinos' facility in the English language and the availability of the internet in the country for the proliferation online child prostitution. —LBG, GMA News