Earlier this month, a family in Thailand made a devastating discovery — a teacher was sexually abusing their nine-year-old son. The child revealed the teacher was coercing him into performing explicit acts, which the teacher filmed and uploaded online. His parents immediately reported the crime to the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, linked to the Thailand Internet Crimes Against Children (TICAC) task force.
As TICAC launched their investigation, they suspected additional children were being harmed. Time was critical, so TICAC asked Destiny Rescue, another antitrafficking nonprofit, for operational support. Destiny Rescue then requested Our Rescue’s team in Thailand to assist with on-the-ground field observations to help build the case and stage the arrest.
Our Rescue’s reports helped law enforcement move quickly. The next morning, with a search warrant in hand, officers arrested the teacher and seized three electronic storage devices including two phones and a two-terabyte hard drive.
Our Rescue’s Electronic Storage Detection (ESD) K9 and his handler conducted a secondary search and confirmed that all devices had been found. The suspect’s phone revealed approximately 20,000 files of suspected child sexual abuse material (CSAM), including footage he filmed of his male students. Under questioning, he confessed to abusing the six boys.
Authorities also found a 15-year-old boy living in the teacher’s home. The teacher claimed to have adopted him, but further investigation revealed the boy had lived with the teacher since fourth grade due to family issues. Although the boy denied any abuse, law enforcement and Survivor Care staff remain concerned about long-term trauma and will monitor his well-being.
The families of five survivors — ages eight, nine, 10, 14, and 16 — were brought to the police station. They shared that the teacher had repeatedly coerced them into explicit acts, offering small sums of money, around 40 to 50 baht each time. Groomed to believe it was normal, some endured the abuse for years.
Our Rescue’s Survivor Care team provided food, water, and immediate emotional support for the children and their families. They also guided families through the initial legal process and informed them of available services for ongoing care. The five boys have since returned home.
Our Rescue’s team will continue working with legal professionals to ensure the survivors receive ongoing support. Our Rescue’s Survivor Care team will collaborate with the government and service providers to provide support for the 15-year-old boy who was living with the offender, including mental health care and assistance in accessing education.
This case is a sobering reminder that predators can exist in positions of trust. But thanks to the combined efforts of TICAC, Destiny Rescue, Our Rescue, and local law enforcement, this perpetrator can no longer harm another child. Now, the focus shifts to healing — and helping these boys reclaim their futures.