A French ex-policeman is in the dock this week, accused of exploiting his position in child protection to prey on vulnerable youngsters in the Philippines.
A former officer with Marseille’s police child protection unit will go on trial on Monday, accused of raping and sexually abusing Filipino street children.
The 46-year-old, who has already spent four years in custody, was arrested after the head of a youth shelter reported concerns.
A 17-year-old resident, herself a rape survivor, had allegedly been receiving inappropriate late-night messages from the officer assigned to her case.
Marseille prosecutors launched an inquiry that led to a raid on the man’s home in June 2021, where thousands of child abuse images were discovered on his devices.
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'Machiavellian scheme'
Investigators soon widened their focus to the Philippines, where the man had been travelling regularly in his role as head of the French branch of a charity working with street children in Manila.
The name of the charity has not been disclosed.
Two orphaned boys, aged 12 and 15, later testified that he paid them small sums of money for sex, first on a patch of wasteland and later at his apartment.
“This was a Machiavellian scheme – an unprecedented modus operandi in which someone poses as an ambassador for child protection,” said Celine Astolfe, lawyer for France’s Foundation for Childhood, which is a plaintiff in the case.
Four other child protection charities have also joined the prosecution.
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Online exploitation of children
The case highlights the broader challenges faced by the Philippines, where child abuse and trafficking remain deeply concerning.
According to UNICEF and local authorities, tens of thousands of children fall victim to sexual exploitation each year, both on the streets and online. The Philippines has become a global hotspot for so-called “online sexual exploitation of children”, with perpetrators often targeting vulnerable families in poor communities.
In 2022 alone, the Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Philippines reported handling nearly 13,000 cases of child abuse, including sexual violence and trafficking.
Campaigners stress that while these figures are shocking, they represent only part of the picture, as many cases go unreported.
The trial, taking place in the southern city of Aix-en-Provence, is due to conclude on Thursday.
(With newswires)
