Police warn child abuse material shared online in Victoria has doubled since August

Child abuse material being shared on Peer-2-Peer networks in Victoria has almost doubled in just 10 months, with the coronavirus pandemic providing a greater opportunity for offending.

Child abuse material being shared on Peer-to-Peer networks in Victoria has almost doubled in just 10 months.

Since August last year there has been a 99 per cent increase in child abuse material files being shared on P2P networks in Victoria, law enforcement agencies have revealed.

In the same period, from August 2019 to May this year, there has also been a 34 per cent increase in Victorian IP addresses seen sharing child abuse material via P2P networks.

The startling increase has prompted Victorian Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team detectives to urge people to be vigilant, as the current increase in online activity and socialising due to COVID-19 restrictions brings an increased risk to the safety of children.

Police said intelligence from several law enforcement agencies also indicated places like the darkweb were being inundated with new material uploaded and shared.

They said they were concerned the increase could include the new production of child abuse material, both in Australia and internationally.

Authorities are also targeting pay per view child abuse material sites and the illegal importation of child sex dolls.

In March, JACET detectives – made up of Victoria Police and Australian Federal Police investigators – charged a man with possession of child abuse material after police seized electronic devices allegedly containing images and videos of child abuse material.

He was bailed but was arrested again in April and charged with 12 further offences after new electronic evidence allegedly revealed contact offending and seven child victims aged between three and five years old were identified.

He is now in custody awaiting his next court appearance.

Parents should regularly talk to their children about online safety.

Detectives have also charged two others with child abuse material offences after US Homeland Security Investigations uncovered payment records and identified four Victorian suspects accessing a members-only website offering downloadable child abuse material.

Detective Superintendent Jane Welsh said inappropriate contact could come from a range of sources, including social networking sites, video and image sharing, gaming and instant messaging apps.

“The reality is that the increase of online socialising and other activities we are currently experiencing due to the global pandemic provides a greater opportunity for online sexual offending and unwanted contact, particularly for children,” she said.

“We now have adult offenders at home spending more time online who may be actively downloading and sharing child exploitation material.”

Supt Welsh said police were seeing a lot of grooming-type behaviour, with adult men contacting young girls online and encouraging them to meet for sexual activity.

She urged parents and carers to regularly have conversations with their children about online safety, monitor their children’s online activity and, if required, have access to their child’s device and online accounts so risky behaviour can be identified before it escalates.

“Children can be groomed in a matter of minutes. These offenders are often master manipulators, and their operations can be quite sophisticated,” she said.

“It’s really important that information about this type of offending is reported to police so that we can take action.”