As children across Australia go back to school, parents and carers are encouraged to use a new tool developed by the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) to support them in educating their children about online safety.
Released during National Child Protection Week, the ACCCE’s animations aim to bolster online educational resources for families and provide the Australian community with a better understanding of online child sexual exploitation.
ACCCE research has shown 21 percent of parents and carers think online child sexual exploitation is too repulsive and sickening to think about.
However, in the last financial year alone, the ACCCE received more than 36,000 reports about online child sexual exploitation or abuse and each report can contain hundreds or thousands of images and videos.
AFP Acting Assistant Commissioner Hilda Sirec said the animation series covered the role of the ACCCE, explained online child sexual exploitation, and provided advice on how to report these crimes to law enforcement and other agencies.
“As the new school year begins, it is as important as ever to increase awareness and understanding of how to be safe online,” acting Assistant Commissioner Sirec said.
“The dangers of online child exploitation can be a difficult and complex subject to discuss. However the increasing use of internet-enabled devices and social media by young people makes this such an important issue for every family to talk about.
“We encourage the Australian community to watch these short animations to gain a better understanding of online safety and how to make a report, and to talk openly with their children, even from an early age,” acting Assistant Commissioner Sirec said.
The animations are available to view on the ACCCE website.
If you or someone you know are impacted by online child sexual exploitation other abuse are support services available at accce.gov.au/support.
Advice and support for parents and carers about how they can help protect children online can be found at thinkuknow.org.au, an AFP-led education program designed to prevent online child sexual exploitation.
Hightail links:
What is Online Child Sexual Exploitation?
This QR code links to the ACCCE animation web page.
