The Federal Police In Australia has successfully rescued dozens of children from sexual abuse after they successfully busted a massive global pedophile ring.
Authorities also arrested 14 grown men during the bust.
Operation Arkstone, a large-scape AFP taskforce, resulted in slapping 828 charges of child exploitation and bestiality.
46 children were saved from further abuse.
16 children were reportedly from a child care center.
The children that were rescued are anywhere from 16 months to 15 years old.
An average age of the children that were rescued from the massive bust is reportedly 8 years old, said official reports.
The men that were arrested in the bust are accused of producing and sharing child abuse material to a specific online network of Australians and overseas peers.
It was shared with the public that one of the men that was arrested as a result of the bust worked as a child care worker in New South Wales.
The police investigation helped revealed that the man, who was not identified, used his position and other means in his personal “life” to get access to 30 children.
The man, who is around 27, is currently facing over 300 charges.
Some of the charges he is facing include sexual intercourse with a child under 10 years; indecent assault of children under 16 years, and intentionally sexually touching a child under 10 years.
He will be produced in front of a court in Port Macquarie on January 21, 2021.
The parents and the people that look after the children that were rescued from the ring have been told about the investigation that was carried out.
The AFP were told about the child abuse material by the US National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.
They informed the authorities in Australia when someone started to upload child abuse material.
That same information led the Federal Police of Australia to locate a 30-year-old man from Wyong. He was arrested in February this year.
The Wyong man has been charged with 89 counts of child abuse charges, which include contact offending of 2 children, said reports.
The data and other information that were gathered after the arrest of the Wyong man allowed investigators to have access to a social media forum where members were uploading their own child abuse material.,
More offenders were tracked down and children that were being used were rescued by the authorities.
Offenders that were arrested in part of the bust include a child care worker, a chef, a supermarket employee, an electrician, a volunteer soccer coach, and a disability support worker.
The investigation in Australia also helped authorities in Europe, Asia, the United States, and Canada, and New Zealand to find offenders.
146 international referrals to other authorities have also been made.
Christopher Woods, the acting commander of the AFP’s Child Protection Operations, released a statement about the incident, where they said:
The dedicated investigators and forensic specialists from the AFP, NSW Police, and HSI have spent most of 2020 working tirelessly after each arrest to piece together information that identified more victims and the people allegedly abusing and exploiting them. Victims were often identified through seemingly minor details in photos and videos – analysis that is time-consuming and painstaking, but vital to supporting the rescue of these children and the identification and prosecution of their abusers. No child should be subjected to abuse and violence from people who hold high positions of trust in their lives, whether it be a family member, child care worker or soccer coach. Police will allege Operation Arkstone revealed a network of abuse, where the alleged offenders in the forums encouraged and emboldened each other to engage in acts of depravity and abuse of children. What this highlights is that offenders are across age groups, occupations, and are in positions of trust. Parents need to be vigilant about who has access to their children.
The identities of the pedophiles that were arrested in the operation were not shared with the public due to legal reasons.