IN a significant legal victory against child exploitation, a French graphic artist has been sentenced to 25 years in jail for ordering the livestreamed rape of hundreds of preteen girls in the Philippines.
The accused, Bouhalem Bouchiba, 59, was found guilty of directing the online sexual abuse of young girls in the Philippines from his home in France.
Evidences presented in court revealed a disturbing pattern of behavior, where the defendant was convicted of
paying two women in the Philippines between 2012 and 2021 to rape and sexually assault girls as young as 5 to 10 years old which was recorded and shared on various online platforms.
Authorities were alerted when Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency,
sent an alert about suspicious money transfers to the Philippines.
As the news of Bouchiba’s conviction circulated, the Department of Justice (DoJ) announced that it was exploring stronger collaborations with money services businesses and
social media platforms, each of which will play a critical role in detecting and preventing the flow of funds toward illegal child exploitation content and access to harmful sites.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla highlighted the importance of a
“whole-of-nation” approach to fight human trafficking, emphasizing that
non-governmental organizations, international partners, telecommunications
companies, and private citizens must all be involved in the effort to combat online
sexual abuse and exploitation of children (Osaec).
“This case sends a powerful message that child exploitation, whether online or offline, will not be tolerated. The government will continue to work diligently with international partners to
ensure that offenders are brought to justice and that our children are safeguarded from such crimes” Remulla said.
The DOJ, alongside National Coordination Center Against OSAEC and CSAEM, is now
working closely with the PNP-Women and Children Protection Center to investigate the case and prosecute the Filipino facilitators, as well as to improve and institutionalize the information sharing and collaboration among law enforcement agencies across different countries.
The Philippine government also encourages anyone with information about child exploitation to report it to the authorities.