The Albanese Government is boosting efforts to combat child sexual exploitation and serious online harms.
This includes strengthening collaboration between the AFP and the eSafety Commissioner. A strengthening of the 2020 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will improve information sharing between the AFP and eSafety, enabling the agencies to work together to more effectively respond to tackling sexual extortion and the promotion of terrorist and violent extremist material online, including social media.
“Child sexual abuse is abhorrent. The Albanese Government is doing everything we can to combat it,” says Attorney-General, The Hon Mark Dreyfus KC MP.
“I thank the Australian Federal Police and the eSafety Commissioner for their work together to tackle child exploitation material online.”
“Their continued commitment to identifying and responding to child sexual abuse material online is a significant contribution to global efforts to protect children from abuse and exploitation.”
It will also enable eSafety to bring child sexual abuse material (CSAM) information to the attention of international law enforcement agencies such as INTERPOL and nominated CSAM bodies like INHOPE – the International Association of Internet Hotline Providers – which provides the public with a way to anonymously report illegal content online.
The updated MoU will:
- Provide enhanced two-way information sharing between the agencies to collaborate on the reporting and referral of child sexual abuse and exploitation matters for investigation.
- Increase the role of the eSafety Commissioner in contributing to victim and perpetrator identification.
- Set out the processes for reporting online grooming and child abuse offences in Australia to the AFP.
“The exploitation of children is a sickening crime against the most vulnerable in our society, and is totally unacceptable in any form,” adds Minister for Communications, the Hon Michelle Rowland MP.
Read also: Stronger telco safeguards proposed for victim-survivors of abuse
“We welcome this renewed commitment between the eSafety Commissioner and the Australian Federal Police.”
“We know there is still more work to do and we will continue to do everything we can to help prevent and reduce the harmful impacts of online exploitation.”
This complements eSafety’s new MoU with South Australia Police and other similar agreements with NSW and Queensland Police which update protocols to jointly investigate matters ranging from cyberbullying to image-based abuse, adult cyber abuse, youth crime online and other forms of illegal and harmful content.
“This MoU allows for greater collaboration to tackle the risks of all online harms to young people,” comments AFP Commissioner, Reece Kershaw APM.
“This close working relationship is especially important while we assess emerging threats and identify opportunities to educate the public on how to keep their children safe online.”
The updates to the MOU will also allow the eSafety Commissioner and the AFP to better respond to online crisis events, such as the terrorist attack in Christchurch and stabbings in Wakeley.
“Our agreement with the AFP further strengthens eSafety’s existing network of relationships with law enforcement agencies across Australia and internationally, allowing us to jointly target perpetrators and identify victims in more serious criminal matters,” says eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant.
“The vital work of police complements eSafety’s civil powers to remove harmful content and compel more transparency and hold technology companies to account, helping keep Australians safer – both online, and in the real world,” she concludes.
Adrianne Saplagio is a Content Producer at Comms Room, where she combines her passion for storytelling with her expertise in multimedia content creation. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for engaging audiences, Adrianne has been instrumental in crafting compelling narratives that resonate across various digital platforms.
