PH and AU Boost Police Cooperation on Countering Child Exploitation

Australian Federal Police (AFP) Deputy Commissioner Brett Pointing and Philippine Ambassador to Canberra Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega at the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) in Brisbane on 04 June 2021.

BRISBANE 08 June 2021– Philippine Ambassador to Australia Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega visited the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) in Brisbane, Queensland on 04 June 2021.

The ACCCE brings together a world-leading approach, incorporating key stakeholders and partners, and driving a collective effort to counter the epidemic of child exploitation. The Philippines and Australia have strong police cooperation with countering child exploitation as among the priority areas.

Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner Brett Pointing, Commander Hilda Sirec and Detective Superintendent Paula Hudson provided a briefing for the Ambassador and highlighted the excellent coordination with their Philippine counterparts.

The ACCCE’s strong partnership with the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Centre (PICACC) has resulted in the rescue of victims, arrest of suspects and conviction of offenders. PICACC, based at Camp Crame in the Philippines, involves the Australian Federal Police, PNP Women and Children’s Protection Centre, National Bureau of Investigation Anti-Human Trafficking Division (NBI AHTRAD), the United Kingdom National Crime Agency (UK NCA), and International Justice Mission (IJM).

The Australian Government has approved A$3.9 million over four years to uplift the AFP’s contribution to the Philippine Government’s law enforcement efforts to combat live online child sexual abuse. This will see the deployment of one child protection liaison officer and one digital and intelligence specialist to the Philippines to further boost police cooperation on countering child exploitation. END

For more information, visit https://www.philembassy.org.au or https://www.facebook.com/PHinAustralia/.