Authorities Rescue Girl Whose Mother Livestreamed Her Sexual Abuse

U.S.|Authorities Rescue Girl Whose Mother Livestreamed Her Sexual Abuse

A 9-year-old Vietnamese girl who was sexually abused by her mother for customers watching on smartphone apps in the United States and elsewhere has been rescued and her mother arrested, according to U.S. authorities.

The abuse, which a man in Utah recorded from a livestream feed after paying to watch it on his iPhone, was reported by The New York Times in December as part of an investigation into the role mothers play in the online exploitation of their underage daughters. Officials at that time said a rescue mission was in progress, but they only now announced that it had been successfully completed.

The woman, whose name was not released, used multiple apps available in the Apple and Google stores, including the video chat platforms Bigo Live and BuzzCast as well as WhatsApp. The woman also created made-to-order videos for customers, according to Tanya Roman, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Law enforcement officials in Vietnam did not respond to a request for comment.

The woman lived in rural Vietnam and told the authorities that she “needed the money,” Ms. Roman said. The girl is now in state care, and her mother has been charged with raping a person under 16 years old and production of child sexual abuse material, according to Homeland Security. If convicted, she faces a sentence of 20 years to life in prison.

The authorities are waiting to obtain access to the woman’s phone, which they expect will contain valuable leads on her American buyers. The man from Utah told The Times that he paid $550 for the mother and another woman he contacted online to sexually abuse their daughters. He later reported the sessions to the Canadian Center for Child Protection, which verified the abuse to The Times.

“The No. 1 offending country is the United States,” said an undercover agent with Homeland Security, who was involved in the case and spoke on the condition that he not be named to protect his ability to do his work. “They’re the ones paying for this abuse.”