Reports of online child exploitation increase by 45%

The number of annual reports of online child exploitation to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) has increased by 45%.

In the 2023/2024 budget year, federal authorities received 58,503 reports of online child abuse.

It is a follow-up to approximately 40,000 reports from the previous financial year.

The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) defines online child sexual exploitation as the luring, creating child sexual abuse material and/or coercing or blackmailing of children for sexual purposes.

Reports on online child exploitation

The ACCCE is led by the AFP. Since its launch in 2018, reports of online child exploitation have more than tripled.

The agency now receives an average of 160 reports per day.

AFP Commander Helen Schneider attributed the increase in reports to the growing number of children having access to the internet.

Schneider said: “Each of these reports contains images and videos of real children being sexually abused or exploited.”

She called on parents and caregivers to talk to children about online safety.

The AFP called the increase in reports “concerning” but said they “represent a valuable resource in the fight against child exploitation.”

NSW Concerns

The AFP data on child exploitation coincides with a strike in NSW this week over child safety concerns.

According to the Public Service Association (PSA), four in five children at risk are not receiving appropriate support due to a shortage of child protection workers.

According to Stewart Little, general secretary of the PSA, “the most vulnerable children in NSW” are at risk of abuse.

The union is calling for 500 new hires and “an immediate and substantial pay increase”. The NSW government said it was in ongoing negotiations with the PSA.