September 17, 2022 • 47 mins
"Light breaks into the darkness. A painstaking investigation leads to the rescue of Ruby and the other girls."
Listeners are given behind the scenes access to how a rescue operation is built–and spoiler–it isn’t all busting down doors!
We travel alongside Attorney Rey of International Justice Mission as he works alongside Philippines police to gain access to the house Ruby and the girls are trapped in, and see what it is like firsthand to work in such a dark area, bringing light one step at a time.
The path to rescue is built on a series of small, strategic steps. At any moment, anything could go wrong.
At last rescue arrives for Ruby. But this is in many ways only the beginning of her journey to healing.
Issues this episode explores:
- The multidisciplinary team needed for a rescue operation
- A consideration of privacy and protection laws
- The toll taken on rescue workers and what motivates them to keep going
Show website: fightofmy.life
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CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains descriptions of sexual violence. Listener discretion is advised.
Please seek help if you need to.
To speak to a trained crisis supporter at Lifeline (24-hours): 131 114
To report a crime to the Australian Federal Police: 1800 333 000
For emergency assistance: 000
FOR THE PHILIPPINES:
If you have suspicions about the occurrence of online sexual exploitation of children in your community, immediately report to: www.1343actionline.ph
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Finding Ruby is a production of Cadence Productions.
Show written and edited by Nikki Florence Thompson and Rich Thompson.
Additional production by Lydia Bowden, Anthea Godsmark, and Brendan Ridley.
Sound design and mix by Rich Thompson and Brendan Ridley.
Graphic design and social media by Sayaka Miyashita, Carla Moran, and Alyssa Sheridan.
Director of photography is Brad Conomy.
Matt Tooker is the executive producer.
Show Music
- "Homeland" by Searching for Light, featuring Jenna Carlie.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
(ambient music)- Cadence Productions.
- Before we begin, a warning.
This podcast containsdescriptions of sexual violence.
Listener discretion is advised.
- The morning of July12th, 2013, Pampanga.
(tense music)(sirens wailing)- Ruby wonders if she's imagining it
(00:26):
when the voice calls out the wordsshe's been longing to hear.
- I heard the technical guyshouted, "There's a police."
I was actually thinking that, oh really?
There's a police?
(tense music continues)- She's drying her hair
after her night on the bathroom floor,her eyes are heavy and
swollen from crying.
(00:51):
She drops the towel andruns to get a better look.
Nadine is there with Pedro.
They have arrived for the girls' payand to check on the computers with Kiko.
(tense music fades)Nadine pulls the girls into the other room
and locks the door.
(menacing music) She's frantic.
(01:12):
She's trying to figure out what to dowith the evidence she has with her,
a large wad of cash and a paper bagwith a brand new iPad inside.
Ruby looks around at the other girls.
They are terrified.
Nadine has warned themthat if the police come,
not only themselves, buttheir families are in danger.
(01:36):
A gunshot pierces the air.
It's a warning shot.
Kiko is trying to escape.
The other girls tremble in fear,but Ruby feels hope rising,
solid and audible.
She steps forward towards the noise.
(01:56):
The police are in the lounge room nowand the door to the room
they are in begins to shake.
(door loud banging)They are breaking through the darkness.
They are breaking through the chains.
They are coming to find help is here.
♪ Far in the distance, there's a promise ♪From Cadence Productions,
(02:19):
this is Finding Ruby,♪ I put it on the altar
though it was mine ♪a true story of loss and trauma
at the hands of one of theworld's fastest growing crimes,
but also a story of triumph,of rescue and resilience.
(02:39):
♪ We're all seeking a homeland, oh ♪♪ We're all seeking a homeland ♪
This is the story of 16 year old Ruby,thrown into the fight of her life
and of those who havechosen to come alongside her
and make it the fight of their lives too.
(gentle rhythmic music)Episode four, The Treasure.
(03:15):
(gentle menacing music)There's something about that moment
when the doors kicked in thatI find immensely satisfying.
Light, both metaphorically and literally,breaks into the darkness.
(03:35):
In one instant, all the tables are turnedand justice begins to take its course.
But in researching this podcast,I have learned that before
these final doors of rescuecome down for girls like Ruby,
other doors need to be opened first.
Here's Caleb Carroll.
(03:56):
- You see the pictures ofchildren being rescued,
and nobody thinks aboutthe months and months
and months of work that our IJM attorneysand that our government,
our government partner attorneys have goneinto advocating for something
as simple as a search warrantto be quicker, right?
But those things contributeto children being rescued more quickly
(04:18):
and lessening the abuse, right?
They just aren't as glamorous.
- It's an understatement to saythat there's a lot that happens
in the lead up to a rescue.
In this episode, we're goingto take you behind the scenes
to see firsthand someof the battle tactics
that are needed for a rescuemission like this one,
(04:39):
the level of preparationand precision needed.
As we explore this remarkable backstory,you'll meet not just one individual,
but a diverse group ofpeople working together
for a common goal,local police, investigators, prosecutors,
lawyers, social workers.
(04:59):
What we will see moreand more of as we go on
is that to break down thedoors, it takes a team effort.
One that involves weapons ofwords, expertise in technology,
meticulous knowledge of the law,and ultimately, a passion and a patience
that drives them all towardsa unified vision of justice.
(05:23):
Nothing about this story is easy.
It's hard one,but getting Ruby and the other girls out
is worth any obstacle.
So let's rewind back now one monthbefore the morning of July 12th, 2013.
(05:48):
- June, 2013, Pampanga.
- Attorney Reynaldo H. Bicol, Jr,or Rey, as he's more commonly known,
is sitting at his deskin the IJM field office
in Pampanga with his secondcup of coffee for the day
when the message comes in.
(cellphone dings)Most days, his inbox is flooded
(06:09):
with requests and pressing demands,one long stream of potential emergencies.
But this one is different.
He adjusts his glassesand takes a closer look.
For nine years, Rey hasbeen an attorney with IJM.
That's just over a quarter of his life.
(06:30):
The weight he carries each day is heavy,but he wouldn't do anything else.
The drive to rescuechildren pushes him on.
And in the last few years,he's been getting results.
Rey moved from Manila to Pampangato set up the IJM office.
The Philippine governmentrequested he do this
(06:52):
to help them rescue and protect childrenfrom the commercial sex
industry in Pampanga,and that was no small task.
Pampanga was known as oneof the global epicenters
of human trafficking.
Some even called it Ground Zero.
Children were beingtrafficked in broad daylight
in pubs and bars and brothels.
(07:14):
This crime was going onunchallenged and unstopped
in an atmosphere of almost total impunity.
- Our project was focusedon this particular type
of trafficking.
We also call it traditionalform of trafficking,
wherein children are openly sold for sexin bars in the streets in Pampanga,
(07:36):
and that place in Pampanga, Angeles City,particularly Fields Avenue,
is notorious for that.
And so, that led IJM to go to Pampanga,establish a presence there
and confront and combat this crime.
- Already in such a short amount of time,Attorney Rey and his team
(07:57):
together with local law enforcement,had achieved a dramatic decrease
in child sex traffickingin the area.
The numbers proved it.
The stat is officially an 86% reductionin the prevalence of child
sex trafficking in the area.
86%.
Of course, some of the traffickingwould've been pushed underground,
(08:19):
but still, it is a remarkable result,one the team is very proud of.
- We went to Pampanga.
We never thought that wewould accomplish that.
We were compelled to go to that place,but we didn't know that it
would come to this resultof drastic reduction of children
(08:44):
being trafficked for commercial sex.
- And that was on top of Manila.
In Manila, under his direction,they prosecuted over 130
cases of sex traffickingand child sexual abuse.
They closed 19 bars and nightclubs.
He takes another sip of coffeeas he reads the message.
(09:07):
The email is from his teamand it describes a series of interactions
with a senior policeofficer, Henry Castroverde,
of the Philippine National Police.
They need help getting a search warrantfor a new case they are building.
Now, this in itself, isn't that unusual,but what is surprising is the location.
(09:29):
It isn't for a brothel oreven for a pub or a bar.
It's for a house,a residential house in Pampanga
that apparently belongsto a woman named Nadine.
Until recently, no matter how ugly it got,at least they could see the enemy.
(09:51):
They could confront him with their eyes.
But things were changing and fast.
Now they were dealing withthe online abuse of children
as a new form of trafficking.
Rey leans in and carefullyreads again through the email.
It tells of some very clever police work.
(10:12):
Once again, he's glad he'snot in this fight alone.
I'm going to do my best now to step youthrough the sequence of events
that led up to that email.
We've taken as much detail as possiblefrom publicly available reports
and from our interviews,but of course, and here's the asterisks,
some of the detail is kept confidentialfor security reasons,
(10:36):
so that law enforcement don't give awaysome of their tactics.
So from time to time,we've needed to use what we've learned
of other similar raidsto fill in the blanks.
Okay, here we go.
It all starts with a tip from the FBI.
(menacing music)They had picked up an unusual
(10:56):
pattern of money transfersbetween the US and the Philippines.
The thought that didn't make sense,small repeated amounts of money
to a single address in Pampanga.
The tip was given to theAnti-Transnational Crime Division
of the Philippine National Policewhere senior officer Henry Castroverde
(11:18):
was then assigned the case.
Sensing that there wasindeed something suspicious,
he assigned an investigator,a Captain Timothy, to investigate.
Timothy and his teamtalked to representatives
at the money transfer companyand obtained the residential address
(11:38):
attached to the account.
They discover the house at that addressbelongs to a lady named Nadine.
Further investigation showsNadine is a wealthy woman
and potentially, very well connected.
They would have to tread verycarefully from here on in.
(12:00):
The investigation team begintheir surveillance slowly,
carefully.
They walk up the streetthat the house is on
pretending to takephotos of all the houses,
not just their target.
But the one they really focuson, of course, is Nadine's.
They can't see muchfrom the street though.
A large solid fence standsbetween the road and the house,
(12:24):
and all the curtains are drawn.
It's very difficult to seewhat is happening inside.
And this is where things startto get really complicated.
You see, in the Philippines,it is constitutionally mandated
that you must get a search warrantto enter premises to collect evidence,
(12:45):
but the process is long and convoluted.
Just to get the warrantto search the place,
you first need to know the place.
- What the constitution requiresis the person applying for a warrant
should particularly describethe place to be searched
and the things to be ceased.
(13:05):
So very detailed that youshould know and tell the judge,
this is what the place looks like,these are the evidence that are there
that we have to cease to prove our case.
- So you have to know what'sinside in order to get inside.
- Yes. (laughs)That's the irony or the challenge of that.
(13:26):
So our law enforcement partnersreally have to be creative
in how do you get an ideaor get those evidence
that you need that youwill present before-
That's what's challengingin the OSEC case work
is that this crime is normally committedin residential homes,
(13:49):
in the privacy of homes.
So you typically, you don't knowwhat the house looks inside, right?
Where are those, even those evidence?
- So the teams starttrying to devise a way
(14:10):
to get into the houseto see what's going on.
After only a couple of days,Captain Timothy starts
to notice a pattern.
While the house remains unnaturally silentfor the majority of the time,
each day, a young man exitsand reenters the house.
We know this guy to be whoRuby calls the houseboy.
(14:34):
Though he leaves empty handed,he often returns with his hands full
of several loaded bags of groceries,far too many bags for
one young man on his ownin a large house.
One morning as the youngman is out shopping,
Timothy approaches the houseboy cautiouslyand initiates a conversation.
(14:57):
At first, the houseboy is dismissive,but sometime into the conversation,
he realizes they'reonto Nadine's operation
and there's a good chancehe's going to prison.
But then Captain Timothyoffers him police protection,
immunity in exchangefor certain information,
(15:18):
in exchange for access to the housewhile the owners are not there.
Can he do it?
Perhaps knowing thathe has no other choice,
the houseboy accepts.
He turns.
The investigation teamnow have an insider,
(15:38):
and now, they have a way to get inside.
In the following days,they wait for a time
when the houseboy is surethat Pedro and Nadine are
not coming to the house.
For the plan to work,this part is essential.
When the time arrives,the houseboy approaches the door quietly,
(15:58):
releasing the padlock andlets the investigator slip in.
The undercover investigatorenters the duty room
and makes a quick note of what's there.
The girls, notepads, computers,monitors, hard drives,
and an array of sex toysthat makes him nauseous.
(16:19):
This house contains all theevidence they need to return.
It exceeds their expectations.
In the process,the investigator has found
out something further,something they hadn't expected.
There is another player in this game,a man who helps with the computers.
(16:42):
Of course, we know him as Kiko.
Though they still don't haveenough for an arrest warrant,
they believe they have enoughto apply for a search warrant,
the ticket that will allow themnot only to enter the premises,
but to collect the evidence,rescue the victims and
potentially arrest the criminals.
(17:03):
In other words, to shutthe whole operation down.
Experience tells themthis is far from easy.
Search warrants are not given out lightly,but senior officer Henry Castroverde
knows just who tocontact to help them out.
A man who has helped them before.
(17:23):
A man whose track recordgoes before him like a torch,
Attorney Rey at InternationalJustice Mission.
- The morning of July 9th, 2013, Pampanga.
(17:43):
- Attorney Rey's team arriveat the court in the morning
not too long after the sun has risen.
They've meticulously checked and recheckedtheir list of evidence
and their testimonies.
They've made sure to give thisthe best chance of success
as is humanly possible.
At last, when everything is ready,as a final precaution to
avoid tipping anyone offto their actions,
(18:07):
they apply in anotherprovince for the warrant.
And now, there is onlyone thing left to do,
and it is the most painful bit of all.
Wait.
They must physically stay in the courtto wait for the decision,
and they have no idea ofknowing how long that will be.
(18:29):
The hours drag on.
(clock ticking)Sometimes it feels like
they're fighting a fire,but they have to wait for
the water to be turned on.
Meanwhile, the victimsmust wait in the flames.
(clock ticking)The sun has long set by the
time the decision is madeand the warrant is granted.
(18:53):
They are finally able to leave.
It's time to put out the fire.
But remember, the team have been givena search warrant only,
not an arrest warrant.
To make a warrantlessarrest in the Philippines,
you have to catch theperpetrators in the crime.
This means they need tonot only have them there,
(19:14):
but have them engaged in activity.
- You don't just go there,like, okay, we got the warrant.
Let's go there and implement it.
So you have to plan carefullyand you have to wait for that time
where the elements ofthe crime are present.
- So the team waits once more.
They wait for the houseboyto inform them of when
(19:36):
Nadine and Pedro and Kikowill be at the house.
Meanwhile, as they wait,the girls continue on,
unaware that their livesare about to change.
The cameras stay on 24/7.
The merciless performances continue.
(19:57):
Several nights later, as Ruby lays asleepon the bathroom floor,
drained of tears and of hope,hope is closer than ever.
The next day will bring Nadine and Pedro.
Only they wouldn't be alone.
And for the first time ever,they wouldn't be the ones in control.
(20:22):
(gentle spirited music)It's hard to imagine the kind of pressure
Rey and all the others work under,for trauma seems to be measured
not just by the severity of the abuse,but by the days and weeks and months
someone is subjected to it.
Time is therefore always ticking.
There is a constant need to move fast.
(20:45):
Here's John Tanagho.
- Yeah, it's really importantto improve the detection
and reporting of onlinesexual exploitation,
both by tech platforms andfinancial sector platforms,
specifically for the reasonof reducing the amount of time
that children are abused and exploited.
(21:07):
The less time that theyare abused and exploited,
I mean, it just kind ofspeaks for itself, right?
It's less harm that they're suffering,less trauma that they're
going to experience.
Not to say that someone who's traffickedand exploited online for
a month or two monthsisn't going to experience trauma.
They certainly will.
(21:28):
But those who are abused andexploited for six months,
one year, two years, four years,you can just imagine how that trauma
builds upon each other, builds upon,and they might eventually lose hope,
lose their sense of identity,their sense of self-esteem,
(21:48):
and the rehabilitation processbecomes that much harder.
- So one of the key questions thenis how do we speed up detection?
Caleb Carroll sees IPaddresses as key to this.
- And this is where it becomestricky in the Philippines,
(22:08):
especially because for the most part,internet service
providers here are poolingor revolving IP addresses so much
and not keeping records of that,that just having an IP address
doesn't do you a whole lot of good,whereas in a place like Australia,
if I have your IPaddress at a certain time
(22:31):
to your home internet,I could pretty much find out
from your internet serviceprovider, with legal process,
where you were.
That's not the case in the Philippinesbased on existing infrastructure.
- One of the current battlesCaleb and his team are working on
is changing the legislationto compel Philippine internet providers
(22:53):
to keep records of who has what IP addressat what time.
But of course, it raises once more,one of thorny issue right
at the heart of this crime,privacy.
This is one of those discussionsthat typically get shut
down really quickly.
No one wants to give up their privacy.
(23:14):
The online world feels, in many ways,like a constant battle for privacy.
Data is being sold.
Sophisticated scams are being run.
Identities are being stolen.
It's really no wonder wewant end-to-end encryption
on everything we do.
It helps us feel safe and protected.
(23:35):
But of course, it's thisvery aspect of technology,
this defensive privacy that isalso protecting perpetrators.
As Caleb says-- It's a bit of a two-edged sword.
Efforts to combat thingslike financial crime
or people spying in yourmessages, stealing pictures,
(23:58):
all make it more difficultto protect children.
- So what can we, as asociety, do about it?
Where is the middle ground in this?
How can we have our privacyand protect children too?
Well, Caleb says those areexactly the kinds of questions
we need to demand that techcompanies be asking themselves
(24:22):
as they design new privacy tools.
In that very same design phase,they need to be also
considering child safety.
It's called child safety by design.
- I think these companieshave a big part to play
in incorporating child safety by design.
(24:43):
I also think that alot of these companies,
the Facebook's, Google's,Microsoft's, all these companies
hire some of the mostbrilliant minds in the world
when it comes to the tech space,and genuinely, I think
that's an even greater areathat they could contribute more
(25:04):
is dedicating expertise andresource to solving the problems
as opposed to always finding speed bumpsabout why they can't solve the problem.
I think that's the big thingis if you saw a significant investment
from the technology sectorwith all of their brilliance
(25:28):
and expertise and resources, right,I mean there's tons of
resources and expertiseand brilliance that can
help us solve this problem.
That's the biggest thing, I think,they need to bring to the table
'cause their platformsare being used to do it.
Trafficking is happeningon their platforms,
child sexual abuse ishappening on their platforms,
(25:48):
and I think they have a corporateand a moral responsibility
to put some effort into stopping.
- Throughout this wholepodcast production,
I have, perhaps unconsciously,been searching for areas of hope.
How are we, and by we, I mean all of us,how are we going to put an end to OSEC?
(26:14):
Where do we put out effortsto bring this thing to an end?
(gentle bright music)You're about to hear one of
the brightest sparks of hopeI have come across.
It's coming out of the tech sectorand it involves artificial intelligence.
- So AI is an importantsolution for a couple reasons.
(26:35):
A, one of the biggestconcerns for privacy advocates
is this idea of the government or a personlooking through this stuff
in their servers that's yoursor on your device, that
really freaks people out,and you often then hear,
okay, well they're usingthis for child's protection,
(26:56):
but then you hear theslippery slope argument,
where does it stop?
Where does the government stop looking?
That's often-And I'm not downplaying.
I think that there areways to academically
and articulately argue those points.
So AI helps in thatyou don't have a person
(27:18):
manually going through things, right?
There's still a level of privacythat's granted to the user.
One conversation thatwe're starting to have now
is this idea of, okay, wellwhat if technology companies
could embed on device scanning technology?
(27:38):
Basically, when youstart to video something
that they've trainedtheir AI as inappropriate,
in our case, it would bechild sex abuse material,
it puts a gray box over itthroughout the whole video.
So you then couldn'tuse that video, right?
What good is a big gray box at video?
This idea of blocking the abilityto create child sexual
(28:01):
abuse material on devicecould potentially be a
middle ground solutionin that it doesn't
involve somebody outsidelooking at your stuff,
it doesn't involvereporting or the government.
It just stops it at the source.
And so if you could combinethat kind of technology on device
(28:23):
with improved detectionon the financial side,
so therefore you're making it hardto produce the image or the video,
and you're also makingit hard to get paid,
you could really cutthe head off a dragon.
I mean, those are two thingsthat could substantially move
towards ending trafficking online,sexual exploitation in our lifetime.
(28:47):
And I think it's great to talk aboutbecause I think it is
a middle ground maybewith the privacy advocates,
'cause again, I think theirconcerns have a lot of weight
and I think-but I also think, as much
as people have a rightto privacy and security,
a child has a right to be protectedfrom sexual exploitation and abuse
(29:12):
and a right to be protected online.
And I think our duty andright to protect children
should always be one of ourtop duties in any society.
So I think it's importantto come to a middle ground
and maybe some on-devicetechnology like that
combined with financialsector coming along
(29:35):
is a way to achieve that.
- July 12th, 2013.
(uplifting music)- Early on the morning
when they plan to executethe search warrant,
the team, led by Senior PoliceOfficer Henry Castroverde,
gathers together andtravels to the location.
By 9 (29:58):
00 AM, they are in place on the street waiting,
hidden in the van.
The houseboy's told themthat Nadine, Pedro and Kiko
were all planning to visit that morning.
Kiko arrives first on a motorbikeand parks across the road.
Moments later, Nadine andPedro arrive in a Fortuner van.
(30:22):
It appears they are unawarethey are being watched.
Together, they open thepadlock and enter the house.
The door shuts.
A few minutes pass.
The team waiting in thevans clenched their fists
in nervous anticipation.
They're taking deep breaths,let them out slowly.
(30:46):
And when finally they are giventhe signal, they are ready.
It's time to go.
(tense uplifting music)(indistinct police radio chatter)
(dog barking)Ruby isn't the only one to
(31:08):
hear Kiko's cry of alarmwith those deafening, life-changing words.
"Police.
Raid." Nadine has heard them tooand she's in a total panic.
In the seconds before the door collapsesand the team surges in,
she flaps around anxiously,and in her panic state comes
(31:30):
up with a ludicrous storythat makes Ruby, even in the
seriousness of the moment,want to laugh.
- She was saying that,"Just tell them that I'm a Splash dealer."
That's like a brand name here.
And she was saying thatwe should tell the police
(31:50):
that she was there to just sellus her products from Splash.
She was planning to tell the policethat's the purpose of her
being there. (chuckles)- At last, the team burst in
in a flurry of action and noise.
Ruby watches stunned and relievedas they begin seizing
(32:10):
items from the duty roomwith both precision and purpose.
The computers the girlsperformed in front of
with their rectangular screensthat were like virtual jails
are disconnected sharply from the walls,put to sleep at last.
Their power is literally removed.
(32:33):
They can no longer do any harm.
(uplifting music continues)(camera clicking)
She hears the cameras click,a quick succession of sounds
as not one piece ofevidence is left behind.
She observes the faces of the rescue team,serious, alert, fierce,
most of all, concentrated.
(32:53):
They talk around her to one anotherin hurried, muffled voices.
And while Ruby takes her firstcautious peeks at freedom,
Nadine and Pedro stand frozenin the middle of it all,
silent, mute, barely moving the air.
It seems that they are nowthe ones to lose their voices.
(33:14):
- They were just quiet.
And of course, they wereadvised with their rights,
they have the right to remain silent,they have the right to counsel,
so they were just complying.
But probably at the back of their mind,our good days are over.
- When a policewoman stepstowards her and asks her name,
Ruby tells her immediately.
She even has her documents ready,the ones she brought with her
(33:36):
when she thought she would be studying.
She hands them over to thepolicewoman without hesitation.
"Is that your real name?", the lady asks.
Ruby nods confidently.
- I was really all smilesgiving her all the information
that she needed from me.
- At last, the truth is returning.
The web of lies has been pierced.
(33:59):
Light is on its way.
(indistinct chatter)The rescue has caught the attention
of more than just those inside the house.
Outside, the press are waiting.
More cameras.
(34:20):
A new flurry of activity.
A social worker stretches out her own armto cover Ruby's face so she cannot be seen
as they at last exit the buildingthat has held her captive for two months.
Ruby and the girls areushered into the waiting van
and taken back to theDepartment of Justice,
or the DOJ as it's known.
(34:43):
While Ruby has been confidentand ready until now,
fear starts to make itsway back towards her.
This is all so unknown.
It wasn't so long agoshe was brought to the
house in a strange car,and now, she's in another,
but there is something that anchors her.
It is an anchor that will be there,not just now in the beginning,
(35:07):
but all the way throughthe following years.
She is aware of the presenceof the social workers beside her,
like protective mother bears.
While others are thereto catch the criminal,
these figures have onlyone responsibility,
to make sure the girls get through this.
(35:29):
The social worker'spresence gives Ruby courage.
She feels less like she's in a whirlwindwith them beside her.
They gently pull her back to earth.
They are trained for this andthey do not leave her side.
- And because of them,I could say that it was
less traumatic for mebecause rescue operations could
(35:51):
be quite scary, of course.
You don't know wherethey will be bringing you
after the rescue operation,but it was made easier
for me to understandbecause of those social workers
who were present during that time,so I'm very grateful for their lives.
(36:16):
- Once at the DOJ, the girlsare led into the building
and taken to interview rooms.
Even though now they are free,there are still things to be done.
The girls are victims, yes,but they are witnesses too.
Their testimony is paramountand it is essential it is
done in a timely manner.
- And it's guaranteed bylaw and the Constitution
(36:39):
that if you arrest aperson without a warrant,
you have to file a chargeagainst this person
within 36 hours for heinouscrimes, like for trafficking.
So law enforcement partnershave to work all night,
24 hours to file those chargesand organize their evidence,
(37:00):
get the statements of the victimsso that you can establish probable cause
when you file the casebefore the public prosecutor
who will be the investigating prosecutorand decide whether or
not the person arrestedshould be held for trial.
- But while Ruby willingly,even enthusiastically,
cooperates with all requests,the other five girls with
(37:23):
her are not so forthcoming.
Ruby approaches the othergirls and kneels down.
Even though she isn'tthe eldest in the group,
she finds herself speakingto them like an older sister.
She reassures them that it is safe.
She speaks in a gentle but firm voice,like the social worker speak to her.
(37:49):
- They are still actuallyworried at that time.
Maybe they will be the onewho will get imprisoned.
Yeah, but also, "No, just tell the truth."- As the other girls
find it hard to speak up,Ruby is already finding the
first beginnings of a new voice,and not just as a witness.
(38:13):
Ruby is finding her new voice as a leader.
(gentle uplifting music)This reluctance to speak up
on the part of the othergirls is not unusual.
(38:35):
In fact, it's very typical.
While the rescue missions of this typeare moments of celebration and relief,
there is another very realand virtually inescapable
side of them too.
Trauma.
(tense menacing music)We'll be talking more about
trauma in the episodes to come,but we wanted to touch on it briefly here
(38:55):
to dispel a preconception we may have,because even though it is for their good,
it doesn't mean rescue isalways easy on the victims.
It may seem like an obvious thing to say,but rescues are raids.
So they are noisy and chaotic.
And for little children, really scary.
(39:18):
IJM have given me someaudio from an actual rescue.
I'm going to play youa little bit of it now.
This is the part after thedoor has been kicked in
and the perpetrator is being arrested.
You can hear the chaos of the moment.
(speaking in foreign language)(children clamoring in distress)
(overlapping speech)(speaking in foreign language)
(39:47):
It's overwhelming at the best of times,but it is hardest and
most heartbreaking of allwhen they are being literally ripped away
from those closest to them,their immediate families.
Lawrence Aritao is IJM's Directorof Prosecution and Aftercare,
(40:07):
and he's been to hisfair share of rescues.
- And that removal is tumultuous.
It is an incredible change,especially if one of the
abusers was their parents,and that is true in many cases.
One of the first rescues I went onwhen I moved to Cebu,
after I moved to Cebu,there were about five children
(40:28):
who were to be rescued.
And from the moment that the policeand the aftercare team
had arrived on the scene,they did every possible thing to make sure
that the children were not in crisis.
But even then, I saw a very young childrunning outside of the house,
(40:54):
crying into the arms of a social worker,but crying-
The social worker, running with a shoalto give them privacy, right.
And it's not a clean typeof event where one and done,
you know, you just geteverybody out and it's done.
In many cases, because of their age,it is the removal from
(41:15):
the family situation.
No matter how dysfunctional itmight have been at the start,
that removal will hurtand traumatize the child.
Now, is it worth doing?
I'd say absolutely becausehealing cannot happen
without that.
(tense menacing music)- And for the rescuers too,
(41:40):
their emotions takesomething of a battering.
The high highs are often accompaniedby feelings of being
completely overwhelmed.
We asked Caleb what it feels likewhen you come to this point,
seeing kids rescued.
- In that moment where you're there,I mean, you recognize that that child
(42:02):
will probably never knowyour name, and that's okay.
I mean, I don't reallywant to be famous for it,
but you'll forever have an impact, right?
As weird as it is tosay, I love what I do.
I mean, it's hard and I don'trecommend it for everybody,
but I love what I do and whatwe're involved with at IJM.
(42:24):
The other side of thatis that you have this moment of euphoria
and then you get back to the officeand you realize there's 50, 60
other cases sitting out therethat you, you know.
And those are just theones you know about.
- That first night of freedom,the girls are given bunks
to share at the DOJ.
(42:48):
Ruby lies down on her small,new patch of territory in the world.
She is relieved to have a goodmeal, to have snacks even,
to be free at last.
It's almost too good to be true.
- I was actually stillabsorbing all the things
that had happened.
(43:09):
Like, yes, already rescued,but I'm not sure what's
going to happen next.
But one thing I'm sureis that the boss could
not harm me any longer.
- But other feelings find their way in.
No matter how much shewants to block it out,
the past intrudes on the present.
Fear comes to visit evenoutside the walls of that house.
(43:34):
Later, Ruby recalls that first nightas having a heavier dimension,
claustrophobic even.
- I could remember thefeeling when I was rescued.
The first nights, it's likeI was lying on a coffin
(43:54):
and being buried in the ground.
You could not really breathefor some reason that you don't know.
So it's just like you'reliving in a very closed space.
You feel that-You know that you are
alone and you feel it.
It's very cold, it's very darkand you cannot move your body
(44:15):
because it's very shallow.
So yeah, that's how I felt.
- But one thing is for certain,she will not stay trapped forever.
In time, Ruby will shine,but it won't all happen at once.
And like everything else tothis point, it won't be easy.
(44:39):
Much of these earlydays are a blur to Ruby,
but she remembers two thingsthat keep her from
being completely buried.
The care of her socialworkers, always beside her,
literally helping herwhen she cannot stand,
and the gentleness ofanother key character
who we will introduce youto in the next episode.
(45:01):
She was in the housewhen Ruby was rescued.
She was the one to interviewRuby and the girls at the DOJ.
Her name is Attorney Kath,and she is just 27 years old
when Ruby's rescue takes place.
And believe it or not, it'sonly her third day on the job
(45:22):
as a lawyer with IJM.
Ruby is not the only onewho struggles to sleep that first night.
Despite hardly sleepingfor nights proceeding,
Attorney Kath tosses and turns.
The memories of the day sovivid, she cannot dislodge them.
The dinginess of that house,that callousness in the
eyes of the perpetrators,the girls terrified of their own freedom.
(45:48):
But above all this, one image stands out.
It's the face of a thin, longhaired girlwith fear in her eyes.
Fear, yes, but something else too,a determination and courage
like Kath has never seen before.
The face of Ruby.
(46:11):
It is a face you will get to know wellin the following months and years,
a face she will go in to fight for,to fight alongside with everything in her.
What she doesn't yet knowis just how big that fight will be.
(46:37):
On the next episode of Finding Ruby,- This particular lawyer
always crossed the line,but Ruby boldly, courageously
and truthfully narrated her story.
♪ There's a promise ♪- Finding Ruby is a project of Cadence,
a creative agency forgood in Sydney, Australia.
(46:58):
♪ We're all waiting in the in between ♪♪ We're all seeking a homeland ♪
This podcast is written and editedby Nikki Florence Thompson
and me, Rich Thompson.
Sound design and mix byme and Brendan Ridley.
The show website whereyou can dive in deeper
into each episode can befound at findingruby.com.
(47:21):
Our theme song is Homelandby Searching for Light.
A special thanks to LydiaBowden, Evelyn Pingel,
Meryll Sarco, Lannie Alano,and all the team at IJM Philippines
for opening their doors to us.
And of course, a big thanksto Ruby for telling her story.
And finally, a big thanks to youfor choosing to come on
this journey with us.
(47:44):
We'd be really gratefulif you would take a moment
to rate and review the podcastso that other people can find it too.
We'll see you on the next episode.
(ambient music)- Cadence Productions.
- Before we begin, a warning.
This podcast containsdescriptions of sexual violence.
Listener discretion is advised.
- The morning of July12th, 2013, Pampanga.
(tense music)(sirens wailing)- Ruby wonders if she's imagining it
(00:26):
when the voice calls out the wordsshe's been longing to hear.
- I heard the technical guyshouted, "There's a police."
I was actually thinking that, oh really?
There's a police?
(tense music continues)- She's drying her hair
after her night on the bathroom floor,her eyes are heavy and
swollen from crying.
(00:51):
She drops the towel andruns to get a better look.
Nadine is there with Pedro.
They have arrived for the girls' payand to check on the computers with Kiko.
(tense music fades)Nadine pulls the girls into the other room
and locks the door.
(menacing music) She's frantic.
(01:12):
She's trying to figure out what to dowith the evidence she has with her,
a large wad of cash and a paper bagwith a brand new iPad inside.
Ruby looks around at the other girls.
They are terrified.
Nadine has warned themthat if the police come,
not only themselves, buttheir families are in danger.
(01:36):
A gunshot pierces the air.
It's a warning shot.
Kiko is trying to escape.
The other girls tremble in fear,but Ruby feels hope rising,
solid and audible.
She steps forward towards the noise.
(01:56):
The police are in the lounge room nowand the door to the room
they are in begins to shake.
(door loud banging)They are breaking through the darkness.
They are breaking through the chains.
They are coming to find help is here.
♪ Far in the distance, there's a promise ♪From Cadence Productions,
(02:19):
this is Finding Ruby,♪ I put it on the altar
though it was mine ♪a true story of loss and trauma
at the hands of one of theworld's fastest growing crimes,
but also a story of triumph,of rescue and resilience.
(02:39):
♪ We're all seeking a homeland, oh ♪♪ We're all seeking a homeland ♪
This is the story of 16 year old Ruby,thrown into the fight of her life
and of those who havechosen to come alongside her
and make it the fight of their lives too.
(gentle rhythmic music)Episode four, The Treasure.
(03:15):
(gentle menacing music)There's something about that moment
when the doors kicked in thatI find immensely satisfying.
Light, both metaphorically and literally,breaks into the darkness.
(03:35):
In one instant, all the tables are turnedand justice begins to take its course.
But in researching this podcast,I have learned that before
these final doors of rescuecome down for girls like Ruby,
other doors need to be opened first.
Here's Caleb Carroll.
(03:56):
- You see the pictures ofchildren being rescued,
and nobody thinks aboutthe months and months
and months of work that our IJM attorneysand that our government,
our government partner attorneys have goneinto advocating for something
as simple as a search warrantto be quicker, right?
But those things contributeto children being rescued more quickly
(04:18):
and lessening the abuse, right?
They just aren't as glamorous.
- It's an understatement to saythat there's a lot that happens
in the lead up to a rescue.
In this episode, we're goingto take you behind the scenes
to see firsthand someof the battle tactics
that are needed for a rescuemission like this one,
(04:39):
the level of preparationand precision needed.
As we explore this remarkable backstory,you'll meet not just one individual,
but a diverse group ofpeople working together
for a common goal,local police, investigators, prosecutors,
lawyers, social workers.
(04:59):
What we will see moreand more of as we go on
is that to break down thedoors, it takes a team effort.
One that involves weapons ofwords, expertise in technology,
meticulous knowledge of the law,and ultimately, a passion and a patience
that drives them all towardsa unified vision of justice.
(05:23):
Nothing about this story is easy.
It's hard one,but getting Ruby and the other girls out
is worth any obstacle.
So let's rewind back now one monthbefore the morning of July 12th, 2013.
(05:48):
- June, 2013, Pampanga.
- Attorney Reynaldo H. Bicol, Jr,or Rey, as he's more commonly known,
is sitting at his deskin the IJM field office
in Pampanga with his secondcup of coffee for the day
when the message comes in.
(cellphone dings)Most days, his inbox is flooded
(06:09):
with requests and pressing demands,one long stream of potential emergencies.
But this one is different.
He adjusts his glassesand takes a closer look.
For nine years, Rey hasbeen an attorney with IJM.
That's just over a quarter of his life.
(06:30):
The weight he carries each day is heavy,but he wouldn't do anything else.
The drive to rescuechildren pushes him on.
And in the last few years,he's been getting results.
Rey moved from Manila to Pampangato set up the IJM office.
The Philippine governmentrequested he do this
(06:52):
to help them rescue and protect childrenfrom the commercial sex
industry in Pampanga,and that was no small task.
Pampanga was known as oneof the global epicenters
of human trafficking.
Some even called it Ground Zero.
Children were beingtrafficked in broad daylight
in pubs and bars and brothels.
(07:14):
This crime was going onunchallenged and unstopped
in an atmosphere of almost total impunity.
- Our project was focusedon this particular type
of trafficking.
We also call it traditionalform of trafficking,
wherein children are openly sold for sexin bars in the streets in Pampanga,
(07:36):
and that place in Pampanga, Angeles City,particularly Fields Avenue,
is notorious for that.
And so, that led IJM to go to Pampanga,establish a presence there
and confront and combat this crime.
- Already in such a short amount of time,Attorney Rey and his team
(07:57):
together with local law enforcement,had achieved a dramatic decrease
in child sex traffickingin the area.
The numbers proved it.
The stat is officially an 86% reductionin the prevalence of child
sex trafficking in the area.
86%.
Of course, some of the traffickingwould've been pushed underground,
(08:19):
but still, it is a remarkable result,one the team is very proud of.
- We went to Pampanga.
We never thought that wewould accomplish that.
We were compelled to go to that place,but we didn't know that it
would come to this resultof drastic reduction of children
(08:44):
being trafficked for commercial sex.
- And that was on top of Manila.
In Manila, under his direction,they prosecuted over 130
cases of sex traffickingand child sexual abuse.
They closed 19 bars and nightclubs.
He takes another sip of coffeeas he reads the message.
(09:07):
The email is from his teamand it describes a series of interactions
with a senior policeofficer, Henry Castroverde,
of the Philippine National Police.
They need help getting a search warrantfor a new case they are building.
Now, this in itself, isn't that unusual,but what is surprising is the location.
(09:29):
It isn't for a brothel oreven for a pub or a bar.
It's for a house,a residential house in Pampanga
that apparently belongsto a woman named Nadine.
Until recently, no matter how ugly it got,at least they could see the enemy.
(09:51):
They could confront him with their eyes.
But things were changing and fast.
Now they were dealing withthe online abuse of children
as a new form of trafficking.
Rey leans in and carefullyreads again through the email.
It tells of some very clever police work.
(10:12):
Once again, he's glad he'snot in this fight alone.
I'm going to do my best now to step youthrough the sequence of events
that led up to that email.
We've taken as much detail as possiblefrom publicly available reports
and from our interviews,but of course, and here's the asterisks,
some of the detail is kept confidentialfor security reasons,
(10:36):
so that law enforcement don't give awaysome of their tactics.
So from time to time,we've needed to use what we've learned
of other similar raidsto fill in the blanks.
Okay, here we go.
It all starts with a tip from the FBI.
(menacing music)They had picked up an unusual
(10:56):
pattern of money transfersbetween the US and the Philippines.
The thought that didn't make sense,small repeated amounts of money
to a single address in Pampanga.
The tip was given to theAnti-Transnational Crime Division
of the Philippine National Policewhere senior officer Henry Castroverde
(11:18):
was then assigned the case.
Sensing that there wasindeed something suspicious,
he assigned an investigator,a Captain Timothy, to investigate.
Timothy and his teamtalked to representatives
at the money transfer companyand obtained the residential address
(11:38):
attached to the account.
They discover the house at that addressbelongs to a lady named Nadine.
Further investigation showsNadine is a wealthy woman
and potentially, very well connected.
They would have to tread verycarefully from here on in.
(12:00):
The investigation team begintheir surveillance slowly,
carefully.
They walk up the streetthat the house is on
pretending to takephotos of all the houses,
not just their target.
But the one they really focuson, of course, is Nadine's.
They can't see muchfrom the street though.
A large solid fence standsbetween the road and the house,
(12:24):
and all the curtains are drawn.
It's very difficult to seewhat is happening inside.
And this is where things startto get really complicated.
You see, in the Philippines,it is constitutionally mandated
that you must get a search warrantto enter premises to collect evidence,
(12:45):
but the process is long and convoluted.
Just to get the warrantto search the place,
you first need to know the place.
- What the constitution requiresis the person applying for a warrant
should particularly describethe place to be searched
and the things to be ceased.
(13:05):
So very detailed that youshould know and tell the judge,
this is what the place looks like,these are the evidence that are there
that we have to cease to prove our case.
- So you have to know what'sinside in order to get inside.
- Yes. (laughs)That's the irony or the challenge of that.
(13:26):
So our law enforcement partnersreally have to be creative
in how do you get an ideaor get those evidence
that you need that youwill present before-
That's what's challengingin the OSEC case work
is that this crime is normally committedin residential homes,
(13:49):
in the privacy of homes.
So you typically, you don't knowwhat the house looks inside, right?
Where are those, even those evidence?
- So the teams starttrying to devise a way
(14:10):
to get into the houseto see what's going on.
After only a couple of days,Captain Timothy starts
to notice a pattern.
While the house remains unnaturally silentfor the majority of the time,
each day, a young man exitsand reenters the house.
We know this guy to be whoRuby calls the houseboy.
(14:34):
Though he leaves empty handed,he often returns with his hands full
of several loaded bags of groceries,far too many bags for
one young man on his ownin a large house.
One morning as the youngman is out shopping,
Timothy approaches the houseboy cautiouslyand initiates a conversation.
(14:57):
At first, the houseboy is dismissive,but sometime into the conversation,
he realizes they'reonto Nadine's operation
and there's a good chancehe's going to prison.
But then Captain Timothyoffers him police protection,
immunity in exchangefor certain information,
(15:18):
in exchange for access to the housewhile the owners are not there.
Can he do it?
Perhaps knowing thathe has no other choice,
the houseboy accepts.
He turns.
The investigation teamnow have an insider,
(15:38):
and now, they have a way to get inside.
In the following days,they wait for a time
when the houseboy is surethat Pedro and Nadine are
not coming to the house.
For the plan to work,this part is essential.
When the time arrives,the houseboy approaches the door quietly,
(15:58):
releasing the padlock andlets the investigator slip in.
The undercover investigatorenters the duty room
and makes a quick note of what's there.
The girls, notepads, computers,monitors, hard drives,
and an array of sex toysthat makes him nauseous.
(16:19):
This house contains all theevidence they need to return.
It exceeds their expectations.
In the process,the investigator has found
out something further,something they hadn't expected.
There is another player in this game,a man who helps with the computers.
(16:42):
Of course, we know him as Kiko.
Though they still don't haveenough for an arrest warrant,
they believe they have enoughto apply for a search warrant,
the ticket that will allow themnot only to enter the premises,
but to collect the evidence,rescue the victims and
potentially arrest the criminals.
(17:03):
In other words, to shutthe whole operation down.
Experience tells themthis is far from easy.
Search warrants are not given out lightly,but senior officer Henry Castroverde
knows just who tocontact to help them out.
A man who has helped them before.
(17:23):
A man whose track recordgoes before him like a torch,
Attorney Rey at InternationalJustice Mission.
- The morning of July 9th, 2013, Pampanga.
(17:43):
- Attorney Rey's team arriveat the court in the morning
not too long after the sun has risen.
They've meticulously checked and recheckedtheir list of evidence
and their testimonies.
They've made sure to give thisthe best chance of success
as is humanly possible.
At last, when everything is ready,as a final precaution to
avoid tipping anyone offto their actions,
(18:07):
they apply in anotherprovince for the warrant.
And now, there is onlyone thing left to do,
and it is the most painful bit of all.
Wait.
They must physically stay in the courtto wait for the decision,
and they have no idea ofknowing how long that will be.
(18:29):
The hours drag on.
(clock ticking)Sometimes it feels like
they're fighting a fire,but they have to wait for
the water to be turned on.
Meanwhile, the victimsmust wait in the flames.
(clock ticking)The sun has long set by the
time the decision is madeand the warrant is granted.
(18:53):
They are finally able to leave.
It's time to put out the fire.
But remember, the team have been givena search warrant only,
not an arrest warrant.
To make a warrantlessarrest in the Philippines,
you have to catch theperpetrators in the crime.
This means they need tonot only have them there,
(19:14):
but have them engaged in activity.
- You don't just go there,like, okay, we got the warrant.
Let's go there and implement it.
So you have to plan carefullyand you have to wait for that time
where the elements ofthe crime are present.
- So the team waits once more.
They wait for the houseboyto inform them of when
(19:36):
Nadine and Pedro and Kikowill be at the house.
Meanwhile, as they wait,the girls continue on,
unaware that their livesare about to change.
The cameras stay on 24/7.
The merciless performances continue.
(19:57):
Several nights later, as Ruby lays asleepon the bathroom floor,
drained of tears and of hope,hope is closer than ever.
The next day will bring Nadine and Pedro.
Only they wouldn't be alone.
And for the first time ever,they wouldn't be the ones in control.
(20:22):
(gentle spirited music)It's hard to imagine the kind of pressure
Rey and all the others work under,for trauma seems to be measured
not just by the severity of the abuse,but by the days and weeks and months
someone is subjected to it.
Time is therefore always ticking.
There is a constant need to move fast.
(20:45):
Here's John Tanagho.
- Yeah, it's really importantto improve the detection
and reporting of onlinesexual exploitation,
both by tech platforms andfinancial sector platforms,
specifically for the reasonof reducing the amount of time
that children are abused and exploited.
(21:07):
The less time that theyare abused and exploited,
I mean, it just kind ofspeaks for itself, right?
It's less harm that they're suffering,less trauma that they're
going to experience.
Not to say that someone who's traffickedand exploited online for
a month or two monthsisn't going to experience trauma.
They certainly will.
(21:28):
But those who are abused andexploited for six months,
one year, two years, four years,you can just imagine how that trauma
builds upon each other, builds upon,and they might eventually lose hope,
lose their sense of identity,their sense of self-esteem,
(21:48):
and the rehabilitation processbecomes that much harder.
- So one of the key questions thenis how do we speed up detection?
Caleb Carroll sees IPaddresses as key to this.
- And this is where it becomestricky in the Philippines,
(22:08):
especially because for the most part,internet service
providers here are poolingor revolving IP addresses so much
and not keeping records of that,that just having an IP address
doesn't do you a whole lot of good,whereas in a place like Australia,
if I have your IPaddress at a certain time
(22:31):
to your home internet,I could pretty much find out
from your internet serviceprovider, with legal process,
where you were.
That's not the case in the Philippinesbased on existing infrastructure.
- One of the current battlesCaleb and his team are working on
is changing the legislationto compel Philippine internet providers
(22:53):
to keep records of who has what IP addressat what time.
But of course, it raises once more,one of thorny issue right
at the heart of this crime,privacy.
This is one of those discussionsthat typically get shut
down really quickly.
No one wants to give up their privacy.
(23:14):
The online world feels, in many ways,like a constant battle for privacy.
Data is being sold.
Sophisticated scams are being run.
Identities are being stolen.
It's really no wonder wewant end-to-end encryption
on everything we do.
It helps us feel safe and protected.
(23:35):
But of course, it's thisvery aspect of technology,
this defensive privacy that isalso protecting perpetrators.
As Caleb says-- It's a bit of a two-edged sword.
Efforts to combat thingslike financial crime
or people spying in yourmessages, stealing pictures,
(23:58):
all make it more difficultto protect children.
- So what can we, as asociety, do about it?
Where is the middle ground in this?
How can we have our privacyand protect children too?
Well, Caleb says those areexactly the kinds of questions
we need to demand that techcompanies be asking themselves
(24:22):
as they design new privacy tools.
In that very same design phase,they need to be also
considering child safety.
It's called child safety by design.
- I think these companieshave a big part to play
in incorporating child safety by design.
(24:43):
I also think that alot of these companies,
the Facebook's, Google's,Microsoft's, all these companies
hire some of the mostbrilliant minds in the world
when it comes to the tech space,and genuinely, I think
that's an even greater areathat they could contribute more
(25:04):
is dedicating expertise andresource to solving the problems
as opposed to always finding speed bumpsabout why they can't solve the problem.
I think that's the big thingis if you saw a significant investment
from the technology sectorwith all of their brilliance
(25:28):
and expertise and resources, right,I mean there's tons of
resources and expertiseand brilliance that can
help us solve this problem.
That's the biggest thing, I think,they need to bring to the table
'cause their platformsare being used to do it.
Trafficking is happeningon their platforms,
child sexual abuse ishappening on their platforms,
(25:48):
and I think they have a corporateand a moral responsibility
to put some effort into stopping.
- Throughout this wholepodcast production,
I have, perhaps unconsciously,been searching for areas of hope.
How are we, and by we, I mean all of us,how are we going to put an end to OSEC?
(26:14):
Where do we put out effortsto bring this thing to an end?
(gentle bright music)You're about to hear one of
the brightest sparks of hopeI have come across.
It's coming out of the tech sectorand it involves artificial intelligence.
- So AI is an importantsolution for a couple reasons.
(26:35):
A, one of the biggestconcerns for privacy advocates
is this idea of the government or a personlooking through this stuff
in their servers that's yoursor on your device, that
really freaks people out,and you often then hear,
okay, well they're usingthis for child's protection,
(26:56):
but then you hear theslippery slope argument,
where does it stop?
Where does the government stop looking?
That's often-And I'm not downplaying.
I think that there areways to academically
and articulately argue those points.
So AI helps in thatyou don't have a person
(27:18):
manually going through things, right?
There's still a level of privacythat's granted to the user.
One conversation thatwe're starting to have now
is this idea of, okay, wellwhat if technology companies
could embed on device scanning technology?
(27:38):
Basically, when youstart to video something
that they've trainedtheir AI as inappropriate,
in our case, it would bechild sex abuse material,
it puts a gray box over itthroughout the whole video.
So you then couldn'tuse that video, right?
What good is a big gray box at video?
This idea of blocking the abilityto create child sexual
(28:01):
abuse material on devicecould potentially be a
middle ground solutionin that it doesn't
involve somebody outsidelooking at your stuff,
it doesn't involvereporting or the government.
It just stops it at the source.
And so if you could combinethat kind of technology on device
(28:23):
with improved detectionon the financial side,
so therefore you're making it hardto produce the image or the video,
and you're also makingit hard to get paid,
you could really cutthe head off a dragon.
I mean, those are two thingsthat could substantially move
towards ending trafficking online,sexual exploitation in our lifetime.
(28:47):
And I think it's great to talk aboutbecause I think it is
a middle ground maybewith the privacy advocates,
'cause again, I think theirconcerns have a lot of weight
and I think-but I also think, as much
as people have a rightto privacy and security,
a child has a right to be protectedfrom sexual exploitation and abuse
(29:12):
and a right to be protected online.
And I think our duty andright to protect children
should always be one of ourtop duties in any society.
So I think it's importantto come to a middle ground
and maybe some on-devicetechnology like that
combined with financialsector coming along
(29:35):
is a way to achieve that.
- July 12th, 2013.
(uplifting music)- Early on the morning
when they plan to executethe search warrant,
the team, led by Senior PoliceOfficer Henry Castroverde,
gathers together andtravels to the location.
By 9 (29:58):
00 AM, they are in place on the street waiting,
hidden in the van.
The houseboy's told themthat Nadine, Pedro and Kiko
were all planning to visit that morning.
Kiko arrives first on a motorbikeand parks across the road.
Moments later, Nadine andPedro arrive in a Fortuner van.
(30:22):
It appears they are unawarethey are being watched.
Together, they open thepadlock and enter the house.
The door shuts.
A few minutes pass.
The team waiting in thevans clenched their fists
in nervous anticipation.
They're taking deep breaths,let them out slowly.
(30:46):
And when finally they are giventhe signal, they are ready.
It's time to go.
(tense uplifting music)(indistinct police radio chatter)
(dog barking)Ruby isn't the only one to
(31:08):
hear Kiko's cry of alarmwith those deafening, life-changing words.
"Police.
Raid." Nadine has heard them tooand she's in a total panic.
In the seconds before the door collapsesand the team surges in,
she flaps around anxiously,and in her panic state comes
(31:30):
up with a ludicrous storythat makes Ruby, even in the
seriousness of the moment,want to laugh.
- She was saying that,"Just tell them that I'm a Splash dealer."
That's like a brand name here.
And she was saying thatwe should tell the police
(31:50):
that she was there to just sellus her products from Splash.
She was planning to tell the policethat's the purpose of her
being there. (chuckles)- At last, the team burst in
in a flurry of action and noise.
Ruby watches stunned and relievedas they begin seizing
(32:10):
items from the duty roomwith both precision and purpose.
The computers the girlsperformed in front of
with their rectangular screensthat were like virtual jails
are disconnected sharply from the walls,put to sleep at last.
Their power is literally removed.
(32:33):
They can no longer do any harm.
(uplifting music continues)(camera clicking)
She hears the cameras click,a quick succession of sounds
as not one piece ofevidence is left behind.
She observes the faces of the rescue team,serious, alert, fierce,
most of all, concentrated.
(32:53):
They talk around her to one anotherin hurried, muffled voices.
And while Ruby takes her firstcautious peeks at freedom,
Nadine and Pedro stand frozenin the middle of it all,
silent, mute, barely moving the air.
It seems that they are nowthe ones to lose their voices.
(33:14):
- They were just quiet.
And of course, they wereadvised with their rights,
they have the right to remain silent,they have the right to counsel,
so they were just complying.
But probably at the back of their mind,our good days are over.
- When a policewoman stepstowards her and asks her name,
Ruby tells her immediately.
She even has her documents ready,the ones she brought with her
(33:36):
when she thought she would be studying.
She hands them over to thepolicewoman without hesitation.
"Is that your real name?", the lady asks.
Ruby nods confidently.
- I was really all smilesgiving her all the information
that she needed from me.
- At last, the truth is returning.
The web of lies has been pierced.
(33:59):
Light is on its way.
(indistinct chatter)The rescue has caught the attention
of more than just those inside the house.
Outside, the press are waiting.
More cameras.
(34:20):
A new flurry of activity.
A social worker stretches out her own armto cover Ruby's face so she cannot be seen
as they at last exit the buildingthat has held her captive for two months.
Ruby and the girls areushered into the waiting van
and taken back to theDepartment of Justice,
or the DOJ as it's known.
(34:43):
While Ruby has been confidentand ready until now,
fear starts to make itsway back towards her.
This is all so unknown.
It wasn't so long agoshe was brought to the
house in a strange car,and now, she's in another,
but there is something that anchors her.
It is an anchor that will be there,not just now in the beginning,
(35:07):
but all the way throughthe following years.
She is aware of the presenceof the social workers beside her,
like protective mother bears.
While others are thereto catch the criminal,
these figures have onlyone responsibility,
to make sure the girls get through this.
(35:29):
The social worker'spresence gives Ruby courage.
She feels less like she's in a whirlwindwith them beside her.
They gently pull her back to earth.
They are trained for this andthey do not leave her side.
- And because of them,I could say that it was
less traumatic for mebecause rescue operations could
(35:51):
be quite scary, of course.
You don't know wherethey will be bringing you
after the rescue operation,but it was made easier
for me to understandbecause of those social workers
who were present during that time,so I'm very grateful for their lives.
(36:16):
- Once at the DOJ, the girlsare led into the building
and taken to interview rooms.
Even though now they are free,there are still things to be done.
The girls are victims, yes,but they are witnesses too.
Their testimony is paramountand it is essential it is
done in a timely manner.
- And it's guaranteed bylaw and the Constitution
(36:39):
that if you arrest aperson without a warrant,
you have to file a chargeagainst this person
within 36 hours for heinouscrimes, like for trafficking.
So law enforcement partnershave to work all night,
24 hours to file those chargesand organize their evidence,
(37:00):
get the statements of the victimsso that you can establish probable cause
when you file the casebefore the public prosecutor
who will be the investigating prosecutorand decide whether or
not the person arrestedshould be held for trial.
- But while Ruby willingly,even enthusiastically,
cooperates with all requests,the other five girls with
(37:23):
her are not so forthcoming.
Ruby approaches the othergirls and kneels down.
Even though she isn'tthe eldest in the group,
she finds herself speakingto them like an older sister.
She reassures them that it is safe.
She speaks in a gentle but firm voice,like the social worker speak to her.
(37:49):
- They are still actuallyworried at that time.
Maybe they will be the onewho will get imprisoned.
Yeah, but also, "No, just tell the truth."- As the other girls
find it hard to speak up,Ruby is already finding the
first beginnings of a new voice,and not just as a witness.
(38:13):
Ruby is finding her new voice as a leader.
(gentle uplifting music)This reluctance to speak up
on the part of the othergirls is not unusual.
(38:35):
In fact, it's very typical.
While the rescue missions of this typeare moments of celebration and relief,
there is another very realand virtually inescapable
side of them too.
Trauma.
(tense menacing music)We'll be talking more about
trauma in the episodes to come,but we wanted to touch on it briefly here
(38:55):
to dispel a preconception we may have,because even though it is for their good,
it doesn't mean rescue isalways easy on the victims.
It may seem like an obvious thing to say,but rescues are raids.
So they are noisy and chaotic.
And for little children, really scary.
(39:18):
IJM have given me someaudio from an actual rescue.
I'm going to play youa little bit of it now.
This is the part after thedoor has been kicked in
and the perpetrator is being arrested.
You can hear the chaos of the moment.
(speaking in foreign language)(children clamoring in distress)
(overlapping speech)(speaking in foreign language)
(39:47):
It's overwhelming at the best of times,but it is hardest and
most heartbreaking of allwhen they are being literally ripped away
from those closest to them,their immediate families.
Lawrence Aritao is IJM's Directorof Prosecution and Aftercare,
(40:07):
and he's been to hisfair share of rescues.
- And that removal is tumultuous.
It is an incredible change,especially if one of the
abusers was their parents,and that is true in many cases.
One of the first rescues I went onwhen I moved to Cebu,
after I moved to Cebu,there were about five children
(40:28):
who were to be rescued.
And from the moment that the policeand the aftercare team
had arrived on the scene,they did every possible thing to make sure
that the children were not in crisis.
But even then, I saw a very young childrunning outside of the house,
(40:54):
crying into the arms of a social worker,but crying-
The social worker, running with a shoalto give them privacy, right.
And it's not a clean typeof event where one and done,
you know, you just geteverybody out and it's done.
In many cases, because of their age,it is the removal from
(41:15):
the family situation.
No matter how dysfunctional itmight have been at the start,
that removal will hurtand traumatize the child.
Now, is it worth doing?
I'd say absolutely becausehealing cannot happen
without that.
(tense menacing music)- And for the rescuers too,
(41:40):
their emotions takesomething of a battering.
The high highs are often accompaniedby feelings of being
completely overwhelmed.
We asked Caleb what it feels likewhen you come to this point,
seeing kids rescued.
- In that moment where you're there,I mean, you recognize that that child
(42:02):
will probably never knowyour name, and that's okay.
I mean, I don't reallywant to be famous for it,
but you'll forever have an impact, right?
As weird as it is tosay, I love what I do.
I mean, it's hard and I don'trecommend it for everybody,
but I love what I do and whatwe're involved with at IJM.
(42:24):
The other side of thatis that you have this moment of euphoria
and then you get back to the officeand you realize there's 50, 60
other cases sitting out therethat you, you know.
And those are just theones you know about.
- That first night of freedom,the girls are given bunks
to share at the DOJ.
(42:48):
Ruby lies down on her small,new patch of territory in the world.
She is relieved to have a goodmeal, to have snacks even,
to be free at last.
It's almost too good to be true.
- I was actually stillabsorbing all the things
that had happened.
(43:09):
Like, yes, already rescued,but I'm not sure what's
going to happen next.
But one thing I'm sureis that the boss could
not harm me any longer.
- But other feelings find their way in.
No matter how much shewants to block it out,
the past intrudes on the present.
Fear comes to visit evenoutside the walls of that house.
(43:34):
Later, Ruby recalls that first nightas having a heavier dimension,
claustrophobic even.
- I could remember thefeeling when I was rescued.
The first nights, it's likeI was lying on a coffin
(43:54):
and being buried in the ground.
You could not really breathefor some reason that you don't know.
So it's just like you'reliving in a very closed space.
You feel that-You know that you are
alone and you feel it.
It's very cold, it's very darkand you cannot move your body
(44:15):
because it's very shallow.
So yeah, that's how I felt.
- But one thing is for certain,she will not stay trapped forever.
In time, Ruby will shine,but it won't all happen at once.
And like everything else tothis point, it won't be easy.
(44:39):
Much of these earlydays are a blur to Ruby,
but she remembers two thingsthat keep her from
being completely buried.
The care of her socialworkers, always beside her,
literally helping herwhen she cannot stand,
and the gentleness ofanother key character
who we will introduce youto in the next episode.
(45:01):
She was in the housewhen Ruby was rescued.
She was the one to interviewRuby and the girls at the DOJ.
Her name is Attorney Kath,and she is just 27 years old
when Ruby's rescue takes place.
And believe it or not, it'sonly her third day on the job
(45:22):
as a lawyer with IJM.
Ruby is not the only onewho struggles to sleep that first night.
Despite hardly sleepingfor nights proceeding,
Attorney Kath tosses and turns.
The memories of the day sovivid, she cannot dislodge them.
The dinginess of that house,that callousness in the
eyes of the perpetrators,the girls terrified of their own freedom.
(45:48):
But above all this, one image stands out.
It's the face of a thin, longhaired girlwith fear in her eyes.
Fear, yes, but something else too,a determination and courage
like Kath has never seen before.
The face of Ruby.
(46:11):
It is a face you will get to know wellin the following months and years,
a face she will go in to fight for,to fight alongside with everything in her.
What she doesn't yet knowis just how big that fight will be.
(46:37):
On the next episode of Finding Ruby,- This particular lawyer
always crossed the line,but Ruby boldly, courageously
and truthfully narrated her story.
♪ There's a promise ♪- Finding Ruby is a project of Cadence,
a creative agency forgood in Sydney, Australia.
(46:58):
♪ We're all waiting in the in between ♪♪ We're all seeking a homeland ♪
This podcast is written and editedby Nikki Florence Thompson
and me, Rich Thompson.
Sound design and mix byme and Brendan Ridley.
The show website whereyou can dive in deeper
into each episode can befound at findingruby.com.
(47:21):
Our theme song is Homelandby Searching for Light.
A special thanks to LydiaBowden, Evelyn Pingel,
Meryll Sarco, Lannie Alano,and all the team at IJM Philippines
for opening their doors to us.
And of course, a big thanksto Ruby for telling her story.
And finally, a big thanks to youfor choosing to come on
this journey with us.
(47:44):
We'd be really gratefulif you would take a moment
to rate and review the podcastso that other people can find it too.
We'll see you on the next episode.
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