Philippines: Child rescue ends in sexual abuse

Alina said she took these photos of the two men who paid her and another girl for sex. DW corroborated that the photos were taken at the restaurant she named. Reyna told DW that she recognised one of them as the man suspected of abusing her. - DW via PDI/ANN

MANILA: Child rescue groups are trying to save victims from sex trafficking in the Philippines. But a Deutsche Welle (DW) investigation found that they could be enabling abuse.

In July 2021, a Christian organisation that has dedicated itself to fighting child sex trafficking launched an undercover operation in Olongapo, a city northwest of Manila in the Philippines. Destiny Rescue’s informants had identified a woman who they said was trafficking children for sex, and set out to stop her.