National Child Protection Week: CEM increases with internet access

Children having more access to the internet has led to a dramatic increase in the amount of reported child exploitation, federal police say.

Children’s unprecedented online access has left them at the mercy of predators.

Children having more access to the internet has led to a dramatic increase in the amount of reported child exploitation, the Australian Federal Police has revealed.

The AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation received a record number of reports of online child exploitation, with a 45 per cent increase in the past financial year.

The specialist centre has seen an increase in the number of reports each year of its six years in operation, with more than 58,000 – or around 160 reports a day – during the 2023-24 financial year.

The centre received 14,000 reports in its first year of operation.

AFP Commander ACCCE and Human Exploitation Helen Schneider said there was both an increase in the amount of abuse perpetrated against children and the amount of community awareness surrounding the issue.

“As more children and young people access the internet, we have seen an upwards trend in cases of online child sexual exploitation,” Commander Schneider said.

“While the increase is confronting, authorities can only help those we know about so we continue to encourage parents and caregivers to engage with their children to talk about how they can remain safe online and learn how to report.

“Every one of these reports contains images and videos of real children being sexually abused or exploited for the sexual gratification of offenders.”

Commander Schneider said the specialist centre worked tirelessly to educate the community about the risks of child exploitation and had recently partnered with ANZ to use financial data to combat child abuse.

“We need to be acting as a community to be alive to the risks that may be facing our children, and prevent online child sexual exploitation – during National Child Protection Week and every week,” she said.

National Child Protection Week began on Sunday.

ACCCE brings together specialist expertise and skills into a central hub, supporting investigations into child abuse and increasing community awareness.

More information on how to keep children safe can be found on the centre’s website.