Australian businesses cracking down on child abuse crimes happening on their premises

From suspicious hotel check-ins to employees viewing child sexual abuse material at work, Australia’s top businesses are calling for stricter action across all sectors.

EXCLUSIVE

Unaccompanied minors on flights. Hotel staff witnessing a suspicious adult checking in with a child. IT managers finding an employee accessing child sexual abuse material on a work computer.

These sorts of incidents are highlighting the growing urgency for businesses to stop child abuse crimes happening on their premises — even if the companies don’t work with kids directly.

That’s why some of Australia’s largest corporations have joined forces to launch new safety policies to crack down on the growing problem.

The Australian Business Coalition for Safeguarding Children was formed to address the rise of abuse committed on premises, by employees, or through company resources.

Founding members of the coalition include Westpac, the GPT Group, the Rugby League Players Association, IHG Hotels & Resorts and advertising agency TBWA\Australia.

Some of Australia’s largest corporations have joined forces to launch new safety policies aimed at reducing the risk of child abuse crimes linked to their workplaces.

Australian Childhood Foundation CEO Janise Mitchell. Picture: Supplied

On Friday, the group will unveil the “Child Safeguarding Business Principles” at a summit, which includes having organisations involve young people in decision-making and enforce “zero-tolerance” policies for child exploitation.

“Perpetrators can exploit business products and services to harm young people,” chief executive officer of the Australian Childhood Foundation Janise Mitchell said.

“The coalition is unique. This is the first child safeguarding business coalition globally that is cross-sector and specific for businesses who do not work directly with children.

“The principles are also a first as they are co-designed with businesses and specific to child safeguarding.”

A study by the coalition, an initiative of the Australian Childhood Foundation, found more than half of Australian businesses don’t have protocols to protect children, and 65 per cent believe there is no risk of child exploitation within their industry.

A study by the coalition, an initiative of the Australian Childhood Foundation, found more than half of Australian businesses don’t have protocols to protect children.

Ms Mitchell said the group aims to set a new standard for businesses to proactively protect children from harm.

“As businesses sign up, they will join coalition meetings and be supported to make their business safer by working towards each of the child safeguarding business principles,” she said.

In 2020, Westpac was hit with a record $1.3 billion fine after admitting to 23 million legal breaches, including failing to report international transactions and inadequately monitoring customers engaging in suspicious activities linked to child exploitation.

Since then, the bank has overhauled its business practices and has contributed to initiatives like the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children and the Coalition for Safeguarding Children.

Australian eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant. Picture: Jonathan Ng

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said Australian businesses seem unaware of the potential for child abuse to fester within.

She said workplace-proliferated abuse is more prevalent than most people realise, and has become a growing problem.

“Protecting children from sexual exploitation and abuse must be a whole-of-society priority, and requires the collective efforts of governments, organisations, regulators, individuals and of course business,” Ms Grant said.

“In the same way that privacy and security is a focus of the boardroom, so too must safety be put on the agenda.

“The research shows that more than half of Australian businesses still do not have protocols in place to protect children from abuse so while there has been progress, there is still much work to be done by the business community.”