The Department of Justice (DoJ) on Tuesday announced plans to prosecute Filipinos who helped a French pedophile live-stream the rape of hundreds of pre-teen girls in the Philippines.

Bouhalem Bouchiba, 59, a graphic artist who worked at animation studios Pixar and Disney, was found guilty of directing the online abuse of pre-teen girls from his residence in France and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Bouchiba was accused of paying women in the Philippines between 2012 and 2021 to rape and sexually assault girls between the ages of 5 and 10 on camera while he watched via live stream and gave instructions.

He is accused of complicity in repeated rapes and sexual assault on minors.

In addition, he is charged with complicity in the repeated trafficking of persons with minors, possession of child pornography images and regular consultation of child pornography websites.

On Tuesday, the DoJ said it is working closely with the National Coordinating Center Against Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Children (Osaec) and the Women and Children Protection Center of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to strengthen investigations and prosecutions against those who facilitated Bouchiba’s crimes.

Police became interested in Bouchiba when Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, sent an alert about suspicious money transfers to the Philippines.

It observed the streams during a wider investigation into the live streaming of child sexual abuse for money by Western clients, with the abuse usually taking place in southern hemisphere countries.

During questioning, investigators said, he admitted to being a consumer of webcam sex shows involving Filipino women and visiting child pornography sites.

He also told investigators that he first came into contact with the women using legal adult-only sex sites.

But he would then move the conversation to secure messaging sites where he would offer to pay for acts of sexual violence to be committed on the children, who were mostly aged between 5 and 10, although it is believed one would have had 3 or less.

Each show cost between 50 and 100 euros (3,172 lei and 6,345 lei)

The accused himself said he was in contact with 24 women and paid about 10,000 euros (P634,510) for 200 sessions.

In a statement, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla emphasized the government’s commitment to a “whole nation” approach to combating human trafficking and child exploitation.

He noted that collaboration between various entities – from non-governmental organizations to international law enforcement agencies and local telecommunications companies – is crucial in improving methods of detecting financial flows related to child exploitation.

“As a government, we are sending a strong message that child exploitation will not be tolerated, whether online or offline,” Remulla said.

He said the DoJ is also taking proactive measures to improve communication and information sharing between law enforcement agencies across borders. This initiative aims to ensure quick and effective responses to child exploitation cases, ultimately working to close the gaps that allow these crimes to flourish.

In light of the case, the DoJ is exploring enhanced collaborations with money services companies and social media platforms.

According to Remulla, these partnerships are essential in detecting illicit financial transactions and preventing access to platforms that promote harmful content.

He urged anyone with information on potential child exploitation cases to report them immediately, as proactive public involvement is vital in the fight against these crimes.

Remulla emphasized that the seriousness of Bouchiba’s actions and the convictions of those who facilitate similar exploits serve as a crucial reminder of the ongoing fight against child abuse in an increasingly digital world.

The Philippines amended the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act and expanded the forms of exploitation included in the definition of trafficking to include the production, creation or distribution of sexual abuse materials and child exploitation.

As amended, the Law against Trafficking in Persons criminalized sex and labor trafficking and prescribed penalties of up to 20 years in prison and fines between 1 million and 2 million lei.

The amendments also expanded the list of acts of private sector entities that constitute the facilitation of trafficking and prescribed additional financial penalties for such offences.