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Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is a complex and widespread crime that is showing no signs of abating. The Australian Childhood Maltreatment Study from April 2023 found more than one in four Australians have experienced one or more types of child sexual abuse.
You might be wondering: how does this relate to my small business? The reality is that every small business, including those whose business is conducted online, could play a role in fighting CSE.
Through technological advances, perpetrators are finding more ways to harm and exploit our children through AI, live-streaming, sextortion and a variety of other means resulting in devastating effects on the victims. For instance, the same Australian Childhood Maltreatment study showed that adults who have experienced child maltreatment are 2.8 times more likely to have a mental health disorder.
We implore businesses to start by learning about the issue and understanding where your systems, processes and procedures can play a role. It takes a whole of community response to break the cycle and we all have a part to play.
Awareness is the first line of defence. Our society can’t confront anything we don’t know or don’t understand. With more information comes greater prevention and protection, and knowledge on what steps to take if something would go wrong.
Spread awareness throughout your business and across your wider stakeholders and partners about the prevalence of this heinous issue, especially in areas that are more vulnerable to this crime like financial services, risk and compliance, procurement, and customer service teams.
It can help to think about this issue from the perspective that unfortunately, statistically, there could be many people in your workforce who have lived experience of child abuse. There may also be many parents or carers who would want to be educated about this issue and better equipped to spread the message further. According to the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation, only 52 per cent of parents and carers talk to their children about online safety. Prevention is key to combatting this crime.
To further your understanding of this issue, you can tap into a multitude of online resources from experts such as the National Office for Child Safety, the eSafety Commissioner and the AFP’s Think U Know program.
Look at your business operations that may be affected by this crime, and understand reporting requirements for each area of your business. Some businesses have mandatory reporting requirements, for instance under the AML/CTF Act. For those entities, resources like AUSTRAC’s Financial Crime Guide Sexual Exploitation Of Children For Financial Gain are very useful.
Even if your business doesn’t have mandatory reporting requirements, or these are already well covered, it’s still essential that your organisation has policies and procedures in place should an incident occur. Without these, there is uncertainty about how to address risks connected with CSE.
Establish guidelines for online communication and social media usage, especially if the business has an online presence. Educate employees about the risks of online interactions to children’s safety, and how to report any concerning behaviour.
As hard as it is, we must confront this issue and have conversations with each other and children about how to prevent and stop this serious crime. We need to open the dialogue across society, small businesses included. With more information comes greater prevention and protection, and knowledge on the steps to take if something were to go wrong.
Once we have awareness, a collaborative and networked approach is essential, within and across financial institutions, and across sectors. If you’re still uncertain, ICMEC Australia can provide guidance, resources and connections to expertise.
ICMEC Australia acknowledges Traditional Owners throughout Australia and their continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, and Elders past and present.
