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Anna Bowden's abuser had to get close to her when she was a child before the sexual exploitation began.
Today, people like her perpetrator can victimise Australian kids from anywhere. In fact, they can do it with the click of a button.
The advancement and accessibility of AI technology has triggered a "tidal wave" of sexually explicit 'deepfake' images and videos, and children are among the most vulnerable targets.
"Accessing and using AI software to create sexual deepfake images is alarmingly easy," Jake Moore, Global Cybersecurity Advisor at ESET, tells 9honey.
From 2022 to 2023, the Asia Pacific region experienced a 1530 per cent surge in deepfake cases, per Sumsub's annual Identity Fraud Report.
One platform, DeepFaceLab, is responsible for about 95 per cent of deepfake videos and there are free platforms available to anyone willing to sign up with an email address.
They can then use real photos of the victim (usually harmless snaps from social media accounts) to generate whatever AI image they want; in about 90 per cent of cases, those images are explicit, according to Australia's eSafety Commissioner.
"We've got cases of deepfakes and people's faces being used in images which are absolutely and utterly horrific," reveals Bowden, CEO at the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC) Australia.
This technology wasn't around when she was abused and it horrifies her to know it's already being used to victimise Aussie kids, many of whom have no idea they're at risk.
"We don't talk about it," she says. "There's no information. There's no idea of what offenders are doing, what we need to look out for.
"We're helping criminals because we're not communicating."
Despite the spike in deepfake cases, 79 per cent of Aussie social media users confessed they struggle to identify AI-generated content online, per a 2024 McAfee survey.
Many parents don't understand the power of AI and the dangers it can pose, so they don't know how to protect or educate their kids.
The worst part is that sometimes children can be perpetrators too.
ESET has recognised a surge in teen AI sextortion cases where teens are generating non-consensual, explicit images and videos of their peers to impress, bully, or intimidate others.
"Constant exposure to online content has desensitised many young individuals, reducing their understanding of the real-world consequences of their actions," Moore explains.
Teen perpetrators can be punishable under Australian law, but the victim may experience shame, fear, humiliation, loss of self-esteem, financial loss, and damage to their social standing.
"Just because those images or videos are AI generated does not mean they're harmless," Bowden says.
This kind of image-based abuse can cause mental and emotional distress, and some victims die by suicide. The worst part is that the deepfakes may never go away.
Advocate Noelle Martin was 18 when she discovered fake non-consensual images of her online and years later, the photos and videos are still online.
"This can destroy someone's entire identity and reputation, their name, and image, and self-determination, and dignity. It can define that person forever," she told 9honey.
A deepfake image or video of a child can spread rapidly and can be almost impossible to have removed from the internet.
Most social media platforms ban non-consensual explicit content, but AI-generated pornography slips through due to the sheer volume of content being posted.
"This makes it difficult for moderators to remove such content quickly enough, while users are swift to share, save, and screenshot these images," Moore notes, revealing they're often shared through private channels.
Earlier this year social media sites struggled to remove an explicit Al-generated image of Taylor Swift from their platforms.
The images were viewed more than 45 million times in 17 hours.
Now imagine if the target was your child, not the biggest celebrity in the world.
It could end up in the hands of child predators seeking out explicit content, who could then use the deepfake to generate even more vile non-consensual photos and videos bearing the face of an Aussie child they've never met.
Bowden describes it as "incredibly traumatic" and warns "it could be around for decades, if not longer.
Thankfully, organisations like ICMEC, ESET, and the Australian eSafety Commissioner are working to combat this.
"It's evolving so quickly that as we create solutions, the technology changes, and then we need a new solution again," Bowden says.
She works with Australian organisations, government and law enforcement to prevent deepfakes and other child sexual exploitation online, but says parents need education too.
That means learning about the risks of AI, explaining them to children in age appropriate ways, and teaching children basic online safety precautions.
It's an uncomfortable conversation and one many Aussies would rather not have, but silence won't help.
"It's just terrifying how low the level of awareness is and how high the risk is," Bowden adds. "We cannot keep just hoping this is going to go away."
Moore advises parents to maintain open communication so their children know they can speak up if something happens.
"If a child becomes a target of AI-generated porn, parents have to remain calm and reassure the child that they are not at fault," Moore adds.
"It is crucial to document all evidence and report the incident to the relevant authorities, such as the school and the police [and] contact the platform hosting the content to request its removal."
AI isn't going to go away, but deepfakes can be tackled and eradicated.
That will require an increase in awareness about the dangers and legal implications of sharing sexual content online, as well as tougher regulations to deter potential offenders, and more accountability from online services.
It will take work and the landscape of AI is changing rapidly, but Bowden is certain that "if the good guys all get together and want to make change, we can outnumber the bad guys".
Anna Bowden is the CEO of The International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children, she has extensive past experience in impact investing, philanthropy and impact strategy.
With an emphasis on building new models for social impact across the globe, Anna’s affinity for the vital work of countering child sexual exploitation, combined with a natural connection to innovative solutions to the world’s wicked problems, makes her a passionate leader. Read on for our interview with Anna!
Describe your career trajectory and how you got to your current position.
My career has always been driven by a passion for making a positive social impact. Over the past 20 years, this has guided me to work with businesses and organisations on programs that integrate social impact with investment and business.
I started my career in the back of a private equity office. This was where I first realised that the money, knowledge, and expertise I was surrounded by could be channelled towards positive social impact (an unusual take at the time). Looking back, this was a transformative moment in my career and a compass that guided me over the decades.
In 2022, I joined ICMEC Australia as Head of the Child Protection Fund before becoming CEO later that year. At ICMEC Australia, we focus on improving the detection, reporting, and prevention of online child sexual abuse. Our work is targeted at helping industry professionals sharpen the tools they need to address child sexual abuse and make a tangible difference.
As a survivor of this kind of abuse myself, I feel a deep sense of purpose in applying my skills to combat one of the fastest-growing crimes in the world. My career has shown that we can make a real difference by combining business and financial expertise with a commitment to social good. Even after 20 years, my sense that we can do better to protect the most vulnerable has only grown.
Take us through a typical day of work for you.
My days are usually quite busy, so I like to start my morning by blowing off steam at the gym at the crack of dawn, which is quickly followed by the madness of getting myself and two young children ready for work and school.
My days are typically split between meetings with our many stakeholders and our team, attending industry events, and working on strategic projects and reporting.
All the travelling to meetings and events means I’m usually squeezing in emails, work, and calls as I travel to and from things as best I can. I try hard to set aside an hour or so to have an early dinner with my family at the end of the day, and then usually log back on to finish a few pressing things before winding down for the night.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve encountered in your career, and how did you overcome it?
I’ve worked in several startups over the years, and it’s always both thrilling and challenging. The intensity of that challenge is heightened when it’s a nonprofit startup. As is the case with many nonprofits, funding is an enormous hurdle, which requires me to make a lot of tough decisions that not only affect me but the entire team and organisation.
There was a time when our organisation was undergoing a significant restructure, and this really challenged me on a personal and professional level. Of course, I knew that avoiding it wasn’t an option and as hard as it would be, we needed to face it head-on as a team to continue our mission of making a difference.
I found the process very emotionally draining. From the very beginning, I promised myself and my team that I would operate with complete transparency. We have a very small, very dedicated team of tight-knit professionals, so there were questions about what this would mean about individual roles and what it meant for the organisation as a whole.
Being vulnerable, open, and honest with my team helped us navigate the restructure and come out stronger on the other side. It wasn’t easy, but it reinforced the importance of having a strong, aligned structure to support our mission. This situation taught me how even when times are tough, your purpose should be your path forward. Everything we do is for the benefit of detecting and preventing child sexual abuse, and sometimes that comes with difficult, confronting, or uncomfortable decisions.
If you could go back in time, what piece of advice would you give yourself as you first embarked on your career?
I would remind myself that the mission always comes before your own comfort. I learned this many years ago when I took on a role thinking I was the right fit, only to find within a few days of starting that I wasn’t the best person for the job. I stayed for many months trying to make it work; partially because I didn’t want to leave the company in the lurch, but also because I was somewhat fearful of how such a short-lived role would look on my resume. I didn’t want future employers to think that I give up when the going gets tough.
Eventually, I realised that by staying in the role, I was hindering the organisation and its ability to fulfil its mission. While I was still concerned about how it would look professionally, I decided that I needed to check my ego and step away so someone better equipped for the role could step in. It was hard, but it’s something that I now look back on with gratitude because it taught me that when you work in the social impact space, you can never put your pride above the mission you’re working towards. I’d tell myself, this will hurt in the short term, but it will feel much better doing the right thing in the long term.
How do you unwind after work?
I won’t lie – learning to unwind is a work in progress for me. I have two young daughters and my passion for what we do at ICMEC Australia makes it very hard for me to switch off. I’m working on it, but I often battle with sending one more email or reviewing one more document instead of closing the laptop.
With that being said, I make an effort to disconnect from work and screens by 8 pm. As someone who has struggled with insomnia all my life, this gives me some time to clear my head before bed.
I’ve also recently started taking ‘quiet breaks’. I don’t think I could quite call it meditating – more like switching off all the stimuli and inputs for a bit. I’m a big believer in starting small – so I spend just five or 10 minutes a day calming my mind during a bit of silence. Hopefully I’ll get better at it as I go – maybe even enough to define it as meditating!
I also really enjoy reading and listening to podcasts, on a wide range of topics. I love learning. I don’t watch much television, but I’ll usually get through at least a couple of books a week.
Imagine a world where some of the most vulnerable people are subjected to the unimaginable, yet their suffering remains largely hidden in the shadows. For more than one in three Australian girls and almost one in five boys who experience child sexual abuse, this world is their reality.
Pretty confronting statistics. I was one of those statistics, having experienced abuse as a child, and it’s one of the many reasons why I am so passionate about bringing this topic out of the shadows and into the light by talking openly about child sexual abuse and exploitation and what we must do to stop it.
Despite its horrifying prevalence, child sexual exploitation (CSE) is rarely talked about. However, there are some things we can all do in our day-to-day lives as well as steps that industries and businesses can take to help put an end to this horrific crime.
Online child sexual exploitation is one of the fastest-growing crimes, so much so that the amount of the most severe category of child sexual abuse material has doubled since 2020. With children spending more time than ever online, this is a major threat to the safety of young people everywhere. A study released this week estimates that globally, over 300 million children were subject to abusive behaviours online, in the last year alone.
Unfortunately, the rapidly evolving nature of technology also makes CSE increasingly difficult to prevent, detect, and prosecute. Investigative approaches and companies who want to address this growing problem need support to develop the right resources, skills, and capacity to fight this crime.
ICMEC Australia works with companies – particularly in the financial services sector – governments, and charities to help them develop the knowledge, tools, and abilities to identify, prevent, and report CSE. We do this by delivering a number of programs, such as data products and training, that help to both empower these organisations and connect them in a united fight against CSE.
The only way to put an end to CSE is for organisations across every industry to look at where and how this crime thrives and to put measures in place that directly address it. It’s a collective effort, but by coming together, we can help prevent and stop children being harmed.
To address CSE, we must first address the significant gaps in the response ecosystem. The confronting truth is that various commercial sectors inadvertently have their digital platforms used by perpetrators seeking to access child sexual abuse material (CSAM). They pay for it via online banking accounts, target and groom children via social media, and share CSAM through communication services, apps and chat platforms.
Thousands of entities hold pieces of the digital evidence puzzle, but because these pieces are not connected, it’s impossible to form a complete picture. This means we all have a role to play in putting a stop to this crime, and that starts with collaboration.
Through our work at ICMEC Australia, we facilitate greater collaboration between industries and organisations through capability building and information and data sharing. To stay across emerging technology innovations, we also have a dedicated catalytic incubator that supports several data and technology projects. By fostering greater transparency, traceability, prosecution, and prevention of CSE, we are contributing to a world where children are safe from the life-changing consequences of this crime.
Another important part of our work is collaborating with law enforcement agencies on the frontlines of detecting and investigating perpetrators of CSE. Despite their pivotal role, the changing landscape of modern technology means they often need more support and resources to uplift their techniques.
Of course, we cannot address CSE without speaking about it – and this is often the hardest part of the process. I get it – there are few topics more distressing and disturbing, so it makes sense that people don’t want to think about it, much less talk about it. However, this only leads to larger gaps in public understanding and advocacy, and it’s in these gaps that this crime thrives.
One of the most significant awareness gaps is in parent-to-child communication. Research shows that while 97 per cent of households with children under 15 have access to the internet, just 52 per cent of Australian parents and carers are having conversations with their children about online safety. This leaves far too many children susceptible to exploitative encounters or material online, highlighting the need for greater awareness and education.
By increasing public awareness, ICMEC Australia drives meaningful change and encourages more proactive measures to protect children. It’s only by having these confronting conversations – whether it’s in our workplaces, in our personal lives, or directly with our children – that we can stand against CSE and create a world without it.
While ICMEC Australia may not work on the frontlines of CSE, it is our privilege to support those who do. Through connection and collaboration, we empower organisations, government agencies, and law enforcement professionals to ensure they are better equipped to tackle this growing problem. Together we can confront the realities of child sexual exploitation and bring justice to the countless vulnerable people who have been forced into silence.
If you or someone you know is experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, domestic, family or sexual violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au for online chat and video call services.
If you are concerned about your behaviour or use of violence, you can contact the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491 or visit http://www.ntv.org.au.
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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.
Child sexual exploitation is all around us, a crime hidden in plain sight thanks to a pervasive culture of silence and stigma. According to current research, one in three women experienced sexual abuse as a child, compared to one in five boys. Further to this, perpetrators of violence against women and girls have often been found guilty of child sexual exploitation and abuse against both groups.
The figures are startling and paint a confronting picture of the terrifying world that many children continue to face. It’s a situation that industry leaders ICMEC Australia chief executive Anna Bowden, National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse chief executive Dr Leanne Beagley and Bravehearts chief executive Alison Geale have devoted much of their professional lives to ameliorating. The three women are coming together to urgently call for an end to violence against women and girls.
Here, we speak with each leader about their roles, their never ending fight to end child sexual exploitation, and how we can all play a part in helping end the abuse.
Anna Bowden, CEO of ICMEC Australia
Anna Bowden, CEO of ICMEC Australia, is one of the leading women tackling child sexual exploitation and ending violence against young women. A powerful voice in a challenging industry, Anna leads the charge against the growing harm to our children online and is responsible for showing resilience every day in the face of darkness.
Lack of awareness is a major driving force behind Anna’s work. “It’s still not broadly understood by society how common child sexual exploitation is - more than one in four Australian children are sexually abused and exploited - and what we need to do to stop it,” she says.
As someone with lived experience of child sexual abuse, Anna says that for her, doing something to contribute feels better than nothing. “There’s a lot of evidence to support that feeling helpless in the face of horrible events can feel really awful,” she says. “Despite how overwhelming the problem can seem, every tiny thing we do to protect children adds up – and, together, we can achieve change.”
Anna also names salt water - whether sweating through exercise, tears, or swimming in the sea - as aids to help her manage the emotional toll of her work. “As the saying goes, sweat, tears, and the sea can make a lot of things feel better. Sweat and exercise are huge coping strategies for me.”
As for the question of legislation, Anna says Australia is very fortunate to have Julie Inman Grant as the eSafety Commissioner, whose team is world-leading in their regulatory response to technology-facilitated crimes.
“We need others to follow Julie’s leadership and put children’s safety first in legislation and regulation. Our commercial and consumer interests should always come after the priority of defending children’s human right to safety.”
Anna sees the solution to child sexual exploitation involving a comprehensive, cross-sector approach to child protection, with government, law enforcement, families, community, and businesses all playing a critical role.
“Children and young people interact with all these systems, and so do perpetrators,” she says. “We can’t continue to say ‘it’s just up to police, or government to sort this out’. They do tremendous work, but this is something we all must participate in.
“As hard as that is, we must confront it and have conversations with each other, and children about how to prevent and stop this. I never got justice against the man who offended against me, because I didn’t know how to vocalise it, or who to tell. We need to open the dialogue across society and with our children. We can’t confront anything we don’t know, or understand.”
As Nelson Mandela said: “There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children”.
Dr Leanne Beagley, CEO of the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse
Dr Leanne Beagley is tasked with overseeing the work of the National Centre and providing leadership on integrated responses to child sexual abuse and its impacts across the country.
Leanne began her journey when working as a therapist with children who had been traumatised by abuse from someone they trusted. “It broke my heart,” she says.
As adults with agency and power, she says we must fight for the rights of children to be heard, believed and protected. “What continues to motivate me is the growing roar of those who have lived and living experience of child sexual abuse. They richly deserve the support and healing and change that they are asking for.”
Leanne admits that there are times when she struggles to manage the emotional toll of the work. “For me, it’s about balancing the challenging and demanding and draining experiences with others that are generative, productive, healing and affirming,” she says.
“When we are strong, we can stand with those who feel shaky. When we are shaky, we have new insights into what it’s like for those who live with trauma.”
To fight the issue effectively, Leanne says we need to understand how it happens - whether that’s from data, lived experience, from research - and interrupt the trajectories at every step of the way. “We have to be prepared to do lots of things all at once.” This multidimensional approach, along with the challenges faced, provide the foundation for the National Centre’s five-year strategic plan - Here for Change.
Solutions also lie in several actions that interplay with one another. These include building strong, confiding, safe relationships with the children around you, and taking preventative measures seriously - for example, the National Centre’s resource on online safety.
On an individual level, there are several steps we all can take to make a difference. This includes knowing the signs of a child who is a risk or experiencing grooming, and taking action when you see those signs. “If you think it is happening, then you are probably right,” Leanne says.
“CSE is prevalent and it is a crime perpetrated by manipulative wily people who remain hidden by a culture of silence and stigma. For prevention and healing to occur, it is critical we shed light on the issue and bring it out of the shadows. The time for us all to take action is now.”
Alison Geale, CEO of Bravehearts
Alison Geale believes there is no better reason to rise to the work challenge every day than to protect our most vulnerable – our children. Ensuring children are safe from sexual abuse and helping those who have been impacted.
When it comes to the emotional toll of her work, Alison says she has a barometer ‘to gauge when my internal ledger feels off.’ Generally, that barometer works well, but there are still times when it can be tested.
“Balance is key, the task at hand is so important and can feel never-ending, naturally the desire to do everything can overtake your bandwidth and will test you,” she says.
“I have a trusted team; we all lean on each other and have open dialogue to help each other check in on self-care.”
Alison believes that stopping child sexual exploitation crimes involves approaching them holistically, through both systemic and societal change. Education has an important role to play, with Alison recommending that all people, including young people and children, are educated on this topic just as you would any other safety topic as they develop.
“Children and young people are accessing all the wonders of the world through the internet and conversely all of the dangers are impacting them equally. Having open, appropriate, and informed discussions with children and young people from an educated perspective is a priority,” she says.
The most important lesson Alison has learned is that ‘shame, secrecy, and silence assist the crime to thrive in plain sight every day.’ She says that in order to break down the paradigms and myths around child sexual abuse and exploitation, we must normalise the discussion with our children.
“The responsibility of their safety should not lie solely with children, but with everyone.”
The sexual abuse and exploitation of children online is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the world. In the shadows of the digital age, the tide of online child sexual exploitation and abuse is swelling, faster than we can respond to, and is challenging us to mount a formidable response. This isn't just a crime; it's a violation of innocence that knows no borders, thriving where light is scarce.
In 2022 alone, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children added 1,141,667 new confirmed child sexual abuse material (CSAM) files to its database, for a total of 6,314,832. These are unique files, not duplicates, highlighting the amount of new material being created every day.
It’s a complex issue that requires a strong response from a variety of sectors - including our country’s top business minds. At ICMEC Australia, we’re fortunate to have built a team made up of varied industry experience including former corporates, law enforcement, government and some brilliant innovative young minds.
The ICMEC Australia team have honed their skills across a variety of industries but have a shared vision of using their abilities to help make the world a better place - in our case, protecting and reducing harm to children. We understand that the protection of children is good business practice and that we all have an important role in society to protect our most vulnerable.
Our approach is multifaceted. We're going beyond response tactics alone by anticipating, innovating and advocating to protect children. It’s impossible to end CSE for good, but we can contribute to the fight against this heinous crime. To get there, it takes a collaborative whole-of-system approach.
We work with financial institutions, telecommunications companies, government, law enforcement, academics and NGOs. Too often, systemic barriers can make it hard to protect children as comprehensively as we want to. By leveraging our collective expertise and resources towards developing impactful solutions, we can save more children from harm.
Anna Bowden, ICMEC Australia’s Chief Executive Officer has an extensive background in impact investing, philanthropy and impact strategy. Having worked across government, social impact organisations, foundations, and consulting, Anna provides a deep understanding of governance, impact, and outcomes-focused programs.
Anna's affinity for our critical mission of protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation intersects with her ability to provide innovative solutions to wicked problems - making her a passionate leader driving our organisation's work. Anna’s diverse experience brings insights across multiple sectors, helping navigate the complex public-private ecosystem better.
"We’ve recruited some of the absolute best experts from across the country and internationally to deliver our impact," Anna says. "We need comprehensive, cross-sector approaches to child protection. Government, law enforcement, families, community, and business all play a critical role."
This is why a diverse team of experts is so important to our organisation. A highly networked problem, where perpetrators of this crime help one another evade detection, requires a collaborative solution.
We bring together the public and private sectors to turn on the lights and fight this crime together. Dannielle Kelly, Head of Capacity and Prevention at ICMEC Australia, brings her former law enforcement experience - 17 years at the AFP, working with government, NGOs, academics and law enforcement internationally on the most up-to-date prevention methods.
“Child sexual abuse is a community-wide issue,” says Dannielle. “Police have stated for years that they can't arrest their way out of this, we need systems in place that support our law enforcement partners, bringing together experts from the public and private sector to work together on preventing this heinous crime.”
Perpetrators are collaborating and using technology to harm at scale, so ICMEC Australia and its stakeholders need to collaborate and use technology to target perpetrators at the same scale. ICMEC Australia has a number of initiatives that you can get involved in.
ICMEC Australia hosts a Collaboration Working Group periodically that brings senior law enforcement, government and top financial crime professionals together to share information that will help combat this crime. This amazing collective comes together without competition, to share and collaborate with the goal of combating this horrific crime.
These same stakeholders get involved in diligently testing technological solutions to enhance their approach to fighting CSE. The online dissemination and sale of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) creates multiple digital traces that, when connected, can help to identify perpetrators and their victims, leading to the prosecution of criminals and the rescue of child victims.
This effort wouldn’t be possible without top business leaders contributing their time and expertise - both within ICMEC Australia and across the broader business community. As we continue to shine a light on these horrendous crimes, a collaborative mindset is the best tool we could have in our toolbox.
About ICMEC Australia:
ICMEC Australia is a not-for-profit that collaborates with companies (in particular financial services), governments, law enforcement and academics to detect, report, prosecute and prevent child sexual exploitation.
ICMEC Australia advocates for policies, laws, and interventions that better address issues relating to the proliferation of child sexual abuse material, online grooming, and live streaming that have emerged as enormous threats to children.
About Rosie Campo, Head of Collaboration – Corporate Partnerships, ICMEC Australia:
Rosie Campo is the Head of Collaboration – Corporate Partnerships at ICMEC Australia, where she plays a pivotal role in developing and executing programs aimed at financially detecting, reporting, and preventing child exploitation. With a wealth of experience spanning the public and private sectors, Rosie uses her expertise by working with stakeholders to advocate for children's rights within Australian organisations.
Collaborating closely with banks and corporate entities, Rosie spearheads initiatives to enhance the financial detection and reporting of child sexual exploitation. Her unwavering dedication underscores her belief that protecting children is a collective responsibility, requiring collaboration and unwavering dedication across a range of sectors and institutions.
Child sexual exploitation (CSE) facilitated online is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the world.
Reports of online child sexual exploitation to the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) have increased by more than 180 per cent since it launched in 2018.
The ACCCE’s Child Protection Triage Unit received more than 40,232 reports of online child sexual exploitation in the 2022-2023 financial year.
CSE can be difficult to open your eyes to, especially once you become aware of the prevalence of this crime in our society. Awareness is our first line of defence. We can’t confront anything we don’t know, or understand.
At ICMEC Australia, we’re constantly facilitating meaningful collaboration and partnerships across both public and private sectors for the ultimate purpose of keeping children safe from harm. We work collectively to spread awareness, address gaps in the ecosystem, and work with technological partners on innovative solutions to this awful issue.
We aren’t the ones who do the hard work, but we take an active approach to help those on the front lines of this crime to have access to the resources, information and connections they need to enhance their approach.
We implore businesses to start by learning about the issue and understanding where their 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.
Increase awareness throughout your business and across your wider stakeholders and partners about the prevalence of this issue, especially in those areas that are more vulnerable to this crime like financial services, risk and compliance, procurement, and customer service teams.
There are so many incredible resources out there, put together by groups such as the National Office for Child Safety, the eSafety Commissioner and the AFP’s Think U Know program. Equipping yourself with the knowledge to support children leads to greater prevention and protection.
If you have them, speak to your risk and compliance teams, and even your customer service teams to discover better and more effective ways to adhere to reporting requirements.
According to the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation, only 52% of parents and carers talk to their children about online safety. Prevention is key to combatting this crime. As hard as it is, we must confront it and have conversations with each other and children about how to prevent and stop this growing issue. We need to open the dialogue across society – businesses included.
Children need to feel they won’t be judged or blamed for what has happened. It’s important to be having conversations with our children about what to look for, and create an environment where they feel comfortable to come to the adults in their lives if they were to feel uncomfortable or uneasy about anything that has happened online.
Every single business, large or small, has a role to play in educating their workforce about this issue, and determining how else they may contribute to helping prevent the exploitation of children. It is only once we connect all the puzzle pieces different organisations hold that we can fight this crime.
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. 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. 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.
Once we have awareness, a collaborative and networked approach is essential. Organisations must work within and across financial institutions and across sectors to ensure that they’re doing everything they possibly can to counter CSE. If you’re still uncertain, ICMEC Australia can provide the guidance, resources and connections to expertise your business needs.
ICMEC Australia is a not-for-profit that collaborates with companies (in particular financial services), governments, law enforcement and academics to detect, report, prosecute and prevent child sexual exploitation.
Welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview with Anna Bowden, the visionary Chief Executive Officer (CEO) steering the helm at ICMEC Australia.
In this exclusive and insightful conversation, Anna unveils the intricate tapestry of her leadership journey, marked by resilience, purpose, and an unyielding commitment to combating the harrowing issue of child sexual exploitation.
At the forefront of ICMEC Australia, a not-for-profit organization driving impactful change, Anna is a beacon of inspiration in the realm of purpose-driven leadership.
As we delve into the interview, Anna candidly shares her experiences navigating challenges unique to a cause often evaded by societal discourse.
From the intricacies of marketing a cause that elicits discomfort to the delicate art of fundraising for a mission that rattles the core, Anna’s narrative unfolds with a poignant blend of personal anecdotes and statistical realities.
The interview not only provides a window into the complexities of addressing child exploitation but also showcases Anna’s commitment to humanizing the message and fostering open dialogue.
Join us on this illuminating journey as Anna Bowden reflects on her leadership philosophy, recounts pivotal moments of resilience, and imparts invaluable wisdom to fellow CEOs seeking purposeful navigation through the turbulent waters of crisis leadership.
Anna Bowden: My name is Anna Bowden and I am the chief executive officer (CEO) of ICMEC Australia, a not-for-profit that empowers governments, companies, and NGOs to increase their ability to detect, report and prosecute child sexual exploitation crimes.
I bring extensive experience in impact investing, philanthropy and impact strategy to my role as CEO, which I use to drive ICMEC Australia’s innovative, outcomes-focused programs. I am a passionate leader driven by my affinity for the vital work of countering child sexual exploitation.
ICMEC Australia is a not-for-profit that collaborates with companies (in particular financial services), governments and charities to detect, support, report, prosecute and prevent child sexual exploitation.
ICMEC Australia advocates for policies, laws, and interventions that better address issues relating to the proliferation of child sexual abuse material, online grooming, and live streaming that have emerged as enormous threats to children.
Founded in 2021 as part of ICMEC’s global community, ICMEC Australia works closely with financial crimes teams, NGOs, corporations, regulators and law enforcement partners to reduce and prevent harm to children.
Anna Bowden: One of the hardest things for our organization is promoting our cause and the work we do. Our mission is to apply data-led approaches to reduce and prevent child sexual abuse facilitated online.
Despite how horrifyingly common child abuse and exploitation is (1 in 4 Australian children are sexually exploited), this is an issue that the vast majority of people still want to avoid hearing or talking about. So how do you market work that people are actively trying to avoid? How do you fundraise for work that rattles people to their core?
We’re still navigating our way through this challenge, but one of the things that has really helped is humanising the message, and matching personal stories with the hard facts and statistics. For me personally, that’s meant being more vocal and outspoken about my experience of abuse as a child.
I like to think it helps people confront the issue if you can say, “this horrible thing happened to me, but I’m ok, I’ve got an amazing family now, and a fantastic career where I get to learn from incredible people and now get to help protect other children from harm.” I think it takes the edge off for people who feel it’s all too big and uncomfortable to talk about.
Anna Bowden: I once took a role that I knew in my gut from day one on the job wasn’t a fit for me. When I was interviewing for the role, it seemed really interesting and challenging.
As soon as I got in the door, I found out what I was really brought on to do there – and it just didn’t sit right. I tried everything I could to see if I could help the organisation, and do the job, but I just couldn’t make it fit.
I’ve always worked in the impact space, and am a firm believer that if you’re not the right person for the role, step away, and let the organisation find that person. So, within two months I was handing in my resignation.
It was an executive role, and I was managing a group of over 30. It had been a detailed recruitment process too, and I felt so guilty for having put the organisation through so much work to bring me in and onboard me, and now I was headed for the door.
There were, of course, also those pesky ego and shame issues. I’d quit my previous job, and now two months later I was unemployed and at home. But it forced me into a period of really deep reflection and research.
I read everything I could on the latest evidence and academic literature about social and environmental impact so I could upskill myself, but also take a much more careful approach to my next role.
I also had two very young children at the time, so I got flexibility to be with them and take stock of what I wanted to do in my career, and how to spend my time. It felt fairly ego-crushing at the time, but in so many ways it led me to where I am today. It was the crisis that I needed to reset and choose a new path.
Anna Bowden: I’m a very strong believer that people are motivated by a ‘why’. I’ve always worked in purpose-driven environments, from corporate responsibility to government social services to charities. So tapping into people’s why has been relatively easier, and very powerful. Resilience comes from reminding people (including myself) of why we’re here.
Right now, I know with full certainty that our work will save children from horrendous harm – it’s easier to be resilient in the face of extensive challenges in this sector, when your team has that front of mind.
For the same reason, that’s the key thing I Iook for when bringing in new team members: are they driven by a purpose? Sometimes, it’s not the particular social cause we’re working on, they might just have a tenacious commitment to help teams be more efficient, or build groundbreaking data products. I’ve seen so many times that the reality is, if they don’t have that drive, this industry will be really challenging for them.
We’re a not for profit – no one takes these roles because they think they’ll make lots of money or have a ‘dial-it-in’ job. This is social impact – it’s complex, messy, hard, and really frustrating at times, so purpose is key.
Anna Bowden: Honestly, I often have moments when my resilience dips right down. I’ve had my fair share of burnouts over the years, and moments of thinking “I’m out – I can’t keep doing this…”
But more and more, I know when I’m approaching those cliff edge moments, and I need to step away for a bit. Often, I’ll hit a wall and I know I need to take a day or two away to recuperate. Because I’m so personally committed to this work, and our mission to protect kids means so much to me, – big setbacks can be emotionally tough.
More generally, I’m a strong believer that action triggers action. You usually can’t think or pep talk yourself into being more resilient. More often than not I find it’s just… take the next step, do the next small thing that’s needed. That slowly builds momentum until you’re up and going again.
Anna Bowden: Exercise is key for me. I have a natural tendency to stress and anxiety, so I’m rigorous about training every morning. If I don’t, I really suffer through the rest of the day, and I’m a less pleasant person to be around!
I’m also a huge list writer and time blocker. So in a crisis, I’ll take a few minutes to write out everything that needs to be done so I can see the pieces, and then take it one tiny chunk at a time – then you can become a little more robotic, and a little less emotional – you’re just working your way through the steps.
Anna Bowden: Honesty and openness. I trust my team entirely, and when I can be, I’m open about the crisis. I’ll absolutely recognise that it’s not fun, and that it’s super frustrating we’re dealing with a particular situation. For better or worse, I wear my heart on my sleeve and prefer to take a more personal approach to crises.
Some of the most amazing moments of team building and bonding that I’ve ever seen have been in response to a crisis.
If everyone on the team continues to feel personally connected to each other, and the work, and you can be open and truthful that “this is uncomfortable, and it sucks, but we’re in it together” – usually the team will come together, and align themselves side by side, to face the battle.
Anna Bowden: I personally don’t believe really hierarchical and cut-throat cultures work. I know other CEOs who feel you need to really push people to perform, and dictate terms to the team. That doesn’t sit well with me.
I think being human and vulnerable is ok. In fact, it can lead to really great performance across the team. My team is fantastic and incredibly competent, but I also still like to get in the weeds and do grunt work alongside them all the time. I like to think it helps foster resilience when there’s less “what would you know about my challenges?” sentiment.
Anna Bowden: I relentlessly add buffer time to every known deadline we have. I’m sure it drives the more procrastination-inclined folks around me nuts!
Like many people, I’m even more rigorous about it now, because I have two young children at home. If a key report or presentation for a stakeholder is due on Friday, I’m getting it done a week before. Because there is always something urgent coming up in our particular line of work.
I also prioritise getting the absolute best talent to work with us. Our team is outstanding. We have leading experts who are known internationally for their work – so when there is a crisis (which is often) – the right minds are in the room to advise us on the path through.
Anna Bowden: One of my best bosses had spent decades working in the navy and military in very senior roles. He would say all the time, “things are never as bad, or as good, as they seem”.
It’s been one of those lessons that has continually proven true for me. When something seems awful, or game-changing-exciting now, I take a minute to temper myself with a little “we’ll see”
Anna Bowden is the chief executive officer (CEO) of ICMEC Australia, a not-for-profit that empowers governments, companies, and NGOs to increase their ability to detect, report and prosecute child sexual exploitation crimes.
I’ve spent almost 20 years working on innovations that straddle social impact and business and investment approaches. I feel very lucky that I’ve worked on some of the most fascinating, and ground-breaking initiatives, with leaders from across the globe.
It totally happened by accident. I wanted to do humanitarian work and international development after university, but I couldn’t afford the costs of my Master’s degree to specialise in it. So I took a job in a private equity office as the sole EA to the entire executive team just to save up money. I couldn’t help but think there was an awful lot of money and expertise floating around in that industry that could be applied to what I actually wanted to do, which was social impact.
So this set me off on a course, and for better or worse, I’ve been doggedly convinced that we can apply new ways of thinking to public-private partnerships and impact. One of my earliest roles was with the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI) – at the time it was a handful of us sitting around a shared desk in a small co-working space in London trying to figure out how to support institutional investors to better mainstream ESG considerations into their investments (those were the days when people would still ask you what the letters ‘ESG’ stood for).
Responsible investment was really about screening out the negative risks. Then this new idea cropped up called ‘impact investment’. At the time, many people thought it was crazy that you could make money, and proactively support environmental and social impact.
In what feels like a bit of a calling, I’m now the CEO of ICMEC Australia. ICMEC Australia seeks to support better detection, reporting, and prevention of child sexual abuse that is facilitated online. We work to support industry professionals, especially from financial services. As a survivor of this abuse myself, I feel immense purpose being able to apply what I’ve learnt in developing and delivering these corporate ‘shared value’ initiatives to what is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world.
I’m probably not meant to admit this to a publication like this, but it’s… very full.
I’m up early so I can be at the gym by 6am. Then I’ll come home, get cleaned up, and start work by 8am. I run my life from my calendar – I use time-blocking so the calendar will be pretty full with meetings and tasks I need to do. I usually leave the office around 4:30pm, collect the kids from school and daycare, bring them back home and then, I’ll be back at work for a few more hours.
It’s usually a mix of meeting with stakeholders and my executive team, presenting at events and meeting, reviewing reports and documents we’re putting out, reporting to the Board and our funders, and right now – lots of strategy development and ‘agile pivots’ to the rapidly changing online and technology worlds and how that affects children and their safety.
We are a not-for-profit organisation, and the team is just fantastic. We’ve recruited some of the absolute best experts from across the country and internationally – to deliver our impact. But as a not-for-profit, we simply don’t have the same resources as businesses or government, so the team ends up rolling up their sleeves to do whatever needs to get done.
The truth is, I have a long way to go to reach balance. I have 4 and 5 year old daughters and I’m leading a not-for-profit organisation in one of the most complex, challenging and technical areas that exist.
Because of my personal connection to this work, it’s even harder for me to switch off. I still have that little voice in my head that says “but what if just one more email tonight, or one more meeting, will in some way contribute to protecting a child from abuse?”
The way I’d define balance, and what I’m striving for is actually more “presence”. I want to be present with my stakeholders and colleagues when I’m at work, and do the best I can to support them at that time. Equally, I want to be fully present with my children and partner when I’m home. Too often than I’d like to admit, while I’m physically at home, my head is either staring into a laptop, or mentally thinking about that complex problem we’re trying to solve.
What I’m trying now is “micro moments of presence”. I took my 4 year old daughter to lunch this weekend. We were at the cafe for probably no more than 45 minutes – but I left my phone in the car, and I was just entirely with her. It was blissful. All I could think was, “this is the reason I do the work I do. Moments like these are amazing!”
I’m doing the same “micro” attempts at meditation too. As someone with anxiety and a history of trauma, the idea of giving my brain quiet time can honestly be pretty terrifying. But I know all the evidence around how beneficial meditation is – so now I’ve started to tell myself I only have to sit there for 10 minutes, sometimes even less.
One change that I’ve recently started trying to be more diligent at is turning off the laptop and screens at night. I’ve experienced anxiety my whole life, and my panic attacks usually kick in at night, leading to some pretty nasty insomnia. I don’t need to tell you the importance of good quality, and enough sleep.
So I’m trying to be better at switching off from work by 8pm, so I get a little time to “wash my brain” before going to sleep. It’s remarkable what a difference it makes to sleep quality.
Oh gosh – so many. I’ve spent many years being a social researcher and impact consultant, so learning about these things is one of my favourite things to do.
Just a couple of recommendations from this year’s learning;
Matthew Walker’s Why We Sleep is excellent, especially for over-workers like myself who have spent years neglecting full sleep (to my detriment)
I love Johann Hari’s books – Lost Connections and Stolen Focus are two favourites
I’m a frequent listener of Rich Roll’s podcast too – he gets all the best speakers on there, and he and his guests are always so open and vulnerable about what they’re going through.
As someone who has spent decades working too hard – burn out – collapse – slowly recuperate – then jump back in and repeat, cycle, you’d think I would have learnt years ago the importance of balance and sustaining yourself.
It’s especially ironic for me, because I know all the literature on this stuff. I’ve read it all, I’ve even delivered strategic plans to dozens of organisations on how they can embed better practices that put human connection, values, and outcomes first.
At the end of the day – I truly think most people, like me – already know what they need to do. But there’s a gap between knowing and doing.
No one can do this for us, we have to draw the line ourselves.
What I’m trying to do now is apply the same discipline I have to things like work and exercise, to other non-work things I care about, like time with family and friends.
It’s a constant battle, but it really is our choice.
The one thing I am absolutely stringent about, is exercise. I train every morning to start my day, and try to burn off my natural tendency for stress and anxiety. Lots of people say to me “I don’t understand how you have energy and time to exercise with all you have on”. My thought is, “how do you have any energy without doing that exercise!?
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.
