A six-year-old girl has been rescued from a paedophile following an international police investigation.
The woman who allegedly sexually abused her and sold videos of the crimes on the dark web was arrested in Manila on Sunday.
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The girl was identified in November 2022 when Philippine National Police (PNP) arrested the woman’s boyfriend in Manila and charged him over similar allegations.
A seven-month search was then conducted to locate the girl.
The man was arrested as the result of an international investigation, launched in early 2022 after officers from Victoria Police and Netherlands Police identified a person sharing child abuse material on a dark web forum.
The videos did not match any material on an international database of previously known child abuse material and were believed to be produced by the person selling them.
An investigation found that the material was being produced in the Philippines and the now 19-year-old man was arrested at a home in Manila on November 11, 2022.
Multiple electronic devices and other items were seized at this time, but no children were found at the property.
New child abuse material was then found recently involving the same victim.
An officer engaged with the person selling the material and on June 18 successfully arrested the woman and located the child.
Police will examine seized items to try to identify anyone who had purchased the child abuse material allegedly offered for sale.
The increasing demand for child exploitation material from around the world, including Australia, is creating a market for people in the Philippines and other countries to physically abuse and even torture children for profit, Australian Federal Police Detective Superintendent Andrew Perkins said.
“Children are not commodities to be used for the abhorrent gratification of sexual predators,” he said.
“This outcome has highlighted the shared commitment law enforcement agencies have to protect children wherever they live and ensure anyone who tries to harm them is identified and brought before the courts.
“We will do whatever we can to help Philippine authorities identify any child victims and remove them from further harm.”
The young girl is now in the care of the Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development.
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