French pedophile ordered to rape Filipino girls online

(UPDATE) A FRENCH court has sentenced a graphic artist who worked on hit animated feature films for Pixar and Disney to 25 years in prison for ordering the live-streamed rapes of hundreds of teenage girls in the Philippines; this case has triggered a call to action here.

A Paris court found Bouhalem Bouchiba, 59, guilty late Thursday of complicity in the rape of girls, human trafficking and viewing child pornography on the Internet.

“I am aware of everything I have done. I ask for forgiveness from the victims,” ​​he said in court.

TRIED AND PUNISHED The facade of the courthouse in Paris, France, of 59-year-old graphic artist Bouhalem Bouchiba, who worked on popular animated films for Pixar and Disney such as ‘The Incredibles’ in 2004 and ‘Ratatouille’ in 2007. 25 years in prison for ordering the live-streamed rapes of teenage girls in the Philippines. SCREENSHOT FROM AFP VIDEO

Bouchiba has worked for animation studios Pixar and Disney, contributing to blockbusters such as the 2004 hit “The Incredibles” and the 2007 release “Ratatouille.”

“On the one hand, you have a graphic artist who makes children happy,” state prosecutor Philippe Courroye said.

“Bouhalem Bouchiba, on the other hand, was a pedophile filmmaker who staged his own horror movies.”

He was convicted in the Philippines between 2012 and 2021 of paying women to rape and sexually assault girls aged 5 to 10 on camera, while he watched and gave instructions via livestream.

In his statement, Bouchiba admitted that the violence was akin to “torture”.

Each show costs between 50 and 100 euros ($54-$108), bringing the total amount Bouchiba spent on performances to just over 50,000 euros.

As news of Bouchiba’s conviction spread, the Department of Justice (DoJ) said it was working on closer partnerships with money services businesses and social media platforms, each of which would play a critical role in detecting and preventing the flow of funds for illegal child exploitation content. and accessing harmful sites.

The Department of Justice said it was in ongoing discussions with major social media companies, including Meta and TikTok, as well as financial services, to limit the spread of exploitative material online. This includes tracking low-value transactions, a preferred method of traffickers to stay below reporting thresholds set by the Anti-Money Laundering Act, which targets larger transactions.

Minister of Justice Jesus Crispin Remulla underlined the need for a “whole of nation” approach to combating human trafficking, emphasizing the involvement of non-governmental organisations, international partners, telecommunications companies and private citizens in the fight against online sexual abuse and exploitation. against children (Osaec).

“The government cannot do this alone,” Remulla said. “Ending modern slavery will require concerted efforts from all stakeholders – ISPs, social media platforms and every citizen. This is a collective struggle.”

The Department of Justice also said it is working closely with the National Coordination Center Against Online Sexual Exploitation and Exploitation of Children and Child Sexual Exploitation or Exploitation Materials (NCC-Osaec-CSAEM) to enhance monitoring capabilities and ensure strict enforcement of anti-trafficking laws.

In an effort to expand liability, the Justice Department has signaled that internet service providers (ISPs) could face potential sanctions and even lawsuits if they fail to cooperate with the government in detecting and deterring illegal online activity.

DoJ Deputy Secretary Jose Dominic Clavano noted that platforms like Telegram and certain subscription services allow users to access malicious content for as little as P50.

“We are consulting with MSBs that are not yet covered by the Anti-Money Laundering Act, but we expect full compliance,” Clavano said.

Adding urgency to these efforts, the Office of the Attorney General (OSG) affirmed its ongoing commitment to protecting victims and supporting law enforcement in human trafficking and Osaec-related cases.

Police became interested in Bouchiba after Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, sent a warning to the Philippines about suspicious money transfers.

Bouchiba, who was living in the United States at the time, was arrested at San Francisco airport on October 4, 2021 and extradited to France.

It was stated that the suspect was already known to the police and was convicted of sexually abusing his stepdaughter in 2009.

Following news of Bouchiba’s conviction, Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas called for strengthening financial intelligence monitoring against online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC).

Brosas said in a statement that Bouchiba’s conviction was “deeply troubling and highlights the urgent need to strengthen our financial monitoring systems against OSEC.”

“The fact that this predator was able to facilitate these heinous crimes through money transfers for almost a decade is absolutely unacceptable,” Brosas added.

He said the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) should direct its resources to monitoring suspicious financial transactions linked to OSEC rather than targeting legitimate activist organizations such as the Leyte Development Center, including that of executive director Jazmin Jerusalem. , was frozen by the military after being accused of links to the communist insurgency.

“Instead of red-tagging progressive organizations and freezing their accounts, AMLC should focus on detecting money trails linked to OSEC unions that exploit our children. Our financial intelligence units must work twice as hard to detect and prevent real criminal transactions that enable sexual violence against Filipino children.” said Brosas.

He said the Marcos administration should be held accountable for neglecting to prioritize the safety and welfare of children, which led to further prevalence of OSEC cases.

“We demand justice for all Filipino children who are victims of foreign predators who take advantage of poverty in our country. We must strengthen our laws against OSEC and ensure proper implementation of Republic Act 11930 or the Prevention of Online Sexual Exploitation and Exploitation of Children Act.” Brosas said.