ARE THERE other cybersex dens in Cebu City? This is what the operatives of the Women and Children’s Protection Center (WCPC) Visayas Field Unit want to know following its recent raid on a cybersex den in Barangay Luz on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, which resulted in the rescue of eight minors and the arrest of one suspect.
Maj. Niño Lawrence Ibo, WCPC acting chief, said they were alarmed when they found that a cybersex den was operating within Cebu City.
Last Wednesday’s operation was conducted by personnel of WCPC-Visayas Field Unit, Women and Children’s Protection Desk of the Cebu City Police Office, and Regional Cybercrime Unit-Central Visayas upon the request of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Justice.
Prior to the raid on Wednesday, the police who pretended to be customers, had transacted with the suspect who allegedly demanded $20 (P1,122) in exchange for nude pictures and videos of the girls.
Ibo said he took pity of the kids as their nude photos, which were exposed to social media, cannot be removed anymore, unless authorized by the website administrator.
Even if the kids would say that they were fine with their online activities as they earned money without being touched by their customers, Ibo said they will continue with their operation to arrest those engaged in cybersex activities.
To check with other barangays
Ibo said they are currently monitoring other barangays in the city for any cybersex activity that mostly victimize minors, including the daughter/s of the den owner.
Meanwhile, the female suspect who was arrested in the joint operation last Wednesday was still being interrogated by police.
Ibo believed the suspect had long been engaged in cyberpornography, based on information they obtained and the nude pictures of children that they got during the raid.
The suspect’s cyberpornography operation was disrupted during the Covid-19 pandemic in June 2020 when Barangay Luz was placed on lockdown due to high Covid-19 cases.
Ibo urged the public to report parents or anyone who are involved in cyber pornography or in any cybersex-related activities to their office. / AYB / TPT