Understanding the impact of child sexual exploitation (CSE) on a victim-survivor’s ability to enjoy a safe, secure and happy future is critical in helping to shape our response to the crime. Supporting a collaborative approach to the detection, reporting, prosecution and prevention of CSE is central to our organisational mission in protecting children from harm.
We recently commissioned an Australian research piece into the economic costs and impacts of child sexual exploitation (CSE), particularly facilitated online. The project will be multi-phased, with opportunities to refine and refresh the findings periodically so that the findings do not become static and outdated. For Phase One, the output will be an initial overview report outlining the different cost categories and preliminary estimates of the financial and non-financial (monetised) impacts of CSE, particularly those facilitated online.
See further details of this study in the National Centre for Action on Child Abuse’s Active Research Register.
Research Brief – Phase One
The initial report will serve as a ‘conversation starter,’ where ICMEC Australia welcomes interested parties to provide feedback and suggestions and inform the next tranche of research. The findings will also be used to speak to government and industry about CSE, particularly facilitated online, as an issue within Australia, and will build awareness on the requirement for funding and consideration within public health models.
Our research partners
As announced in late November 2023, we are partnering with The University of Queensland on Phase One of this research project. Dr Jonah Rimer, Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Convenor of Postgraduate Cyber Criminology, will lead the research.
Phase One is set to commence in early 2024 and will conclude approximately six months later, at which time we will share the findings with the CSE response ecosystem and the wider community.