The growing scourge of child exploitation is of great concern and an issue that has come under the close scrutiny of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement, which examined the capability of Australia’s law enforcement agencies to tackle it.
The Committee’s report addresses critical aspects of child exploitation and offers invaluable insights and recommendations to enhance law enforcement capabilities in this crucial area.
The scale and scope of child exploitation in the online environment is staggering, and it’s not just limited to the dark web. The Committee heard distressing evidence about perpetrators seeking out and contacting children on social media and online games, and the ease by which children can access inappropriate material and bypass existing age-based protections.
The Coalition has called on the Albanese Government to implement the E-Safety Commissioner’s 2022 call for a trial of age assurance technology to help keep kids safe online, and to establish a national disclosure scheme of child sex offenders to improve public awareness and help reduce re-offending.
Unfortunately, the E-Safety Commissioner’s call for a trial of age assurance technology has been ignored by the Albanese Government, which has instead given the pornography industry voluntary codes to manage age verification.
It is extremely disappointing that that Labor Government has rejected a trial aimed at protecting children from pornography and other online harm. A petition supporting the trial is available at: www.research.net/r/6ZFRH3P.
The Coalition also recommended bringing in a national disclosure scheme of child sex offenders, which aims to mitigate the real risks posed by repeat offenders, as highlighted in research published by the Australian Institute of Criminology.
Recent AIC studies, including a 2021 examination of data from New South Wales authorities, underscore the urgency of addressing recidivism in child sex offenders. Shockingly, seven per cent of child sex offenders in New South Wales went on to commit further sexual offenses within a decade of their initial police proceeding for a child sexual offense.
A broader study, encompassing data from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, and Western Australia, revealed that most incidents involving recidivist offenders occurred within the offender’s known circles, often involving acquaintances or relatives.
Equally concerning is the finding that almost all alleged offenders within the sample perpetrated offenses against new victims, highlighting the urgent need for measures that go beyond current preventative strategies.
A National Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme would send a clear message that we will not tolerate individuals who prey on children.
Another concerning risk to our children is the major spike in cyber bullying.
There has been a 42 per cent increase in reports to the eSafety Commissioner during 2023. Most complaints were made by girls aged between 12 and 16, and more must be done to combat this growing problem.
Parents often have little opportunity to keep up with the latest online trends, and the advice for parents is to be aware of the potential for your children to become victims, or even perpetrators. Parents are encouraged to have conversations with their children and make sure they are aware that they are not the only ones in this situation and that they can turn to you for help.
If you or your children are being harassed, threatened, intimidated, or humiliated online, you can report the abuse to the eSafety Commissioner at www.esafety.gov.au or call the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.
