Federal police rescue 26 Australian kids from online child abuse
Twenty-six children have been rescued from sexual abuse in Australia in a year but the rising number of deviants paying to watch kids overseas being sexually abused live online is raising fears among police.
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Police investigating online child sexual abuse have rescued 26 children in Australia in the past year.
The Australian Federal Police — through its Joint Anti Child Exploitation Teams and International Operations — removed 72 children in total, including 46 from overseas.
The children were often being sexually abused by people close to them.
At the same time, investigators have received 14,286 reports of child exploitation and arrested 74 people, resulting in 372 criminal charges.
Police have identified 38 “new” victims — children depicted in online sexual abuse material who were previously unknown to Australian or overseas law enforcement.
During the 2018-2019 financial year, the AFP also made 357 referrals to state and territory police.
The AFP is working with international police to combat the growth in live online child sexual abuse (LOCSA) and established the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Centre this year.
“Child exploitation in the Philippines has moved from child sex tourism to exploitation of children via the internet, including the development of LOCSA or ‘pay-per-view’ cottage industries,” Detective Superintendent Dan Evans, acting manager of child protection operations at the AFP, told the Herald Sun.
“Perpetrators are typically based outside the Philippines and Philippine facilitators are typically family and close friends of victims.”
The rise in Australian deviants paying to watch overseas children being sexually abused live on the internet is of great concern to the AFP.
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“The introduction of Australian laws enabling cancellation of Australian passports and seizure of foreign passports of registered sex offenders is likely to have increased the prevalence of Australian perpetrators exploiting children via the internet,” Supt Evans said.
Paedophiles in Australia can pay $15 to $500 to view online child sexual abuse, with money sent to a facilitator in advance.
Payment can involve several transactions on the same day or consecutive days.