Subject matter experts in online child sexual exploitation descended on Canberra in July for the Australian Institute of Criminology’s (AIC) Forum to combat a crime that crosses borders and all sectors of society.
Members of the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) and Australian Federal Police Child Protection Operations joined experts from law enforcement, academia, not-for-profit, policy, industry and the financial sector, bringing their experience and knowledge to the group.
Attendees worked together to identify gaps and develop solutions to tackle the online sexual exploitation of children here and overseas, learning more about child sexual abuse material offending, the online solicitation of children and first-person produced (or self-generated) sexual imagery.
AIC director Michael Phelan expressed the underlying sentiment that was prominent across all sectors.
“Online Child Sexual Exploitation is no longer an emerging crime type, it is embedded… only together can we tackle the issue,” Mr Phelan said.
Other keynote speakers included:
- Supervisory Special Agent at Department of Homeland Security Investigations (USA) Jim Cole who is also a member of the Interagency Child Exploitation and Persons Trafficking Task Force (INTERCEPT) and Chair of the INTERPOL HQ Specialists Group on Crimes Against Children
- Associate Executive Director, Canadian Centre for Child Protection Signy Arnason
- Director of Education, Canadian Centre for Child Protection Noni Classen
- ACCCE and Human Exploitation Commander Hilda Sirec, and
- ACCCE Operations Manager, Detective Inspector Jon Rouse