‘Abhorrent’: Disturbing rise in banned item entering Australia
A disturbing trend has emerged with more people attempting to import an “abhorrent” banned item into Australia than ever before.
Close to 50 childlike sex dolls have been stopped from entering Australia in the last financial year after research exposed the “abhorrent” objects could lead to a rise in crimes against kids.
The Australian Border Force (ABF) has been working with state and territory police in order to stop childlike sex dolls entering the country, with a staggering 47 of them prevented between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025.
Child-like sex dolls are considered a Tier 2 Good and importation can lead to a fine of up to $782,500, imprisonment for 10 years or both.
It has been an area of focus for the ABF who said in July there had been a “disturbing rise” in attempted imports of these despicable objects, marking a nationwide “crackdown”.
In August this year alone, a 59-year-old man was arrested after a consignment from Asia was targeted from examination. The man was refused bail.
“The use of childlike sex dolls abhorrently normalises child exploitation and is far from being a victimless crime,” an ABF spokesperson told news.com.au.
“Working with state and territory police is a top priority for the ABF to detect, disrupt and deter those who seek to import these items and risk harm to the most vulnerable of our community.
“We also work closely with our international partners to prevent harm to children in Australia and overseas.”
The spokesperson explained that officers use “intelligence-led screening and risk-based targeting” to stop these items entering Australia.
“Recent research by the Australian Institute of Criminology suggests that the use of these dolls may lead to an escalation in child sex offences, from viewing online child abuse material to contact sexual offending,” the spokesperson said.
Caitlin Roper is the campaign manager for Collective Shout, a grassroots organisation against the objectification of women and sexualisation of girls.
The organisation has fought for many years to get these dolls banned from websites shipping to Australia and had success in seeing them removed from platforms such as Temu.
Ms Roper said she thought people would be surprised at how accessible the dolls are.
“I think predators are always looking for new ways to sexually exploit and abuse children, and now with the availability of child sex abuse dolls and AI, the opportunities for tech-facilitated sexual exploitation of children have grown exponentially,” she said.
Ms Roper said that there was a misconception that this was a victimless crime or that it could actually prevent child sexual abuse.
“This is categorically false. Normalising and legitimising men’s sexual use and abuse of children, normalising this view of children as the means of sexual gratification, harms children and encourages their abuse,” she said
“These dolls are replica children, replica little girls, toddlers and infants – often extremely lifelike, and with penetrable orifices, being produced and marketed for men’s practice of child sexual abuse. These men are enacting acts of abuse on a replica child that looks and feels like a real child.
“Childlike dolls can come with different facial expressions, and some are depicted crying. “Some advertising material depicts the dolls in defensive poses, with hands up in front of their face. These dolls facilitate men’s practice of child rape and abuse.”
She continued: “I’ve been researching this topic for years, and men who are found with child sex abuse dolls are almost always sexually offending against children in other ways. They are typically found with child sexual abuse material.
“Offenders can also involve actual children in their use of these dolls. Some doll manufacturers will customise dolls in the likeness of an actual child.”
Brands such as Temu and Amazon have been on the receiving end of Collective Shout’s campaigning against these items being listed on their sites. Both businesses have since removed these items from sale.
A Temu spokesperson told news.com.au: “Temu prohibits the listing and sale of all sex dolls on its Australia site.
“The platform runs a multi-layered compliance system that includes seller verification, pre-listing reviews, keyword and image detection, physical inspections, spot checks, and continuous monitoring of public and stakeholder feedback to identify, block, and remove prohibited products.
“Sellers who violate these rules have their listings removed immediately and face penalties, including suspension or a permanent ban. Temu continues to invest heavily in keeping the marketplace safe, respectful, and accessible to all users.”
A spokesperson from Amazon said protecting children is a priority for the brand.
“We have strict policies and guidelines in the segment of adult products and we have always strictly prohibited child pornography,” the spokesperson said.
“This includes having express policies prohibiting the sale of sex dolls with childlike appearances, which all third-party sellers on our store must follow.
“We continuously monitor our store, and if we discover a product was undetected by our manual and automated checks, we address the issue immediately and refine our controls. Third-party sellers who don’t comply with Amazon policies and guidelines will be subject to action including removal of their account.”
It comes after Shein announced it will ban the sale of childlike sex dolls on its website as French authorities condemned it.
Kritsi McVee, a child safety expert who spent 10 years in Western Australia Police as a specialist child interviewer and a Detective Senior Constable, said that she had encountered these while on the force.
“It was never an innocent curiosity,” she told news.com.au.
“During my time as a child abuse detective, I encountered childlike sex dolls in the possession of offenders who were already consuming child sexual abuse material or had directly harmed children.
“These dolls weren’t harmless ‘fantasy aids’; they were part of a pattern — tools used to rehearse, reinforce and justify dangerous sexual interests in children.
“They serve to desensitise offenders, feeding an escalation towards real-world abuse. It was never an innocent, stand-alone behaviour or a ‘preference’; it was always part of a bigger, darker picture of risk and why they are banned in Australia.”
She, like other experts, said that it is on the rise in Australia and “growing faster than most people realise”.
“The anonymity and convenience of online shopping have made it frighteningly easy to buy these dolls. What once required back-alley effort and secrecy, can now be ordered to your door with a few clicks,” she said.
She added that code words are used to help the items easier to find — and hard to police.
“When platforms like Shein, Temu, or even Amazon host products that sexualise the image of a child, it tells us how deep the rot goes — profit has trumped protection,” she said.
“We’ve normalised exploitation to the point where it hides in plain sight.”
She added that we need to hold retailers to account.
“I think it’s important to acknowledge the work organisations like Collective Shout have done to hold these companies accountable,” she said.
“The community has a role to play too. We need to be vocal, report these items when we see them and support the organisations fighting for change. This isn’t just about stopping one product, it’s about drawing a line on what we will and won’t tolerate when it comes to the safety and dignity of children.”
Originally published as ‘Abhorrent’: Disturbing rise in banned item entering Australia
