Government’s Firm Stance Against Online Child Exploitation
International Justice Mission (IJM) Australia has lauded the Australian Government’s recent announcement, made by Communications Minister Michelle Rowland, to intensify the Basic Online Safety Expectations. This significant move aims to advance the review of the Online Safety Act, focusing on the protection of children from online sexual exploitation and abuse.
IJM Australia’s Advocacy for Stringent Reforms
Grace Wong, IJM Australia’s Chief Advocacy Officer, expressed a deep concern about the reluctance of major tech companies to adhere to Australia’s Basic Online Safety Expectations, particularly in reporting their measures to shield children from sexual abuse on their platforms. Wong stated, “It has been concerning to witness recent developments where big tech companies have refused to comply with Australia’s Basic Online Safety Expectations to report on measures they take to protect children from online sexual abuse on their platforms.”
She further commended the Australian Government’s bolstered stance, emphasizing the need for tech companies to be accountable in eradicating child sexual exploitation and abuse material online. “IJM Australia welcomes this strengthened stance from the Australian Government to ensure the accountability of tech companies in clamping down on child sexual exploitation and abuse material online,” Ms Wong said.
The Drive for Enhanced Online Safety Legislation
In a united effort to combat this grave issue, IJM Australia, along with over a thousand Australians, signed an open letter to the Prime Minister earlier this year. The collective call was for the government to reinforce regulations on the tech industry, targeting the elimination of child sexual abuse material.
“It is essential the Online Safety Act is properly strengthened to protect children from online sexual exploitation and abuse at the hands of Australian child sex perpetrators,” Ms Wong said.
Alarming Statistics and the Global Impact
Recent studies by IJM have unveiled alarming statistics. Their 2023 Scale of Harm report disclosed that in the last year alone, half a million Filipino children were trafficked to produce new child sexual exploitation and abuse materials. Additionally, their 2020 study highlighted that Australians represented one in five offenders in the online sexual exploitation and abuse of children in the Philippines, a global epicenter for such crimes.
“Australian Government regulation of the tech sector has real-world impacts on the protection of vulnerable children in countries like the Philippines from online sexual exploitation and abuse by Australian offenders.”
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Urgent Need for Updated Enforcement Mechanisms
In 2022, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline received a staggering 32 million reports, containing over 88.3 million files of child sexual abuse materials. This surge underscores the urgency for updated enforcement mechanisms to cope with the rapidly evolving nature of online child sexual abuse material generation and distribution.
“The generation and dissemination of online child sexual abuse materials is evolving quickly and the mechanisms for enforcement must be updated so the eSafety Commissioner has the tools to ensure that Australia’s standards and codes are complied with,” Ms Wong concluded.
[1] IJM 2023 Scale of Harm report available here.
[2] IJM 2020 Online Sexual Exploitation of Children in the Philippines: Analysis and Recommendations for Governments, Industry, and Civil Society report available here.
