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Partnerships

Strengthening the Child Protection Response

The capability to detect and investigate digital crimes varies across organisations and sectors. While offenders exploit technological advancements to target children, response communities often lag behind. To effectively counter child abuse, we must resource, support, and connect new initiatives in data,  technology-driven and preventative approaches within the response industry.

Since July 2022, our Child Protection Fund has identified and supported catalytic partners in this response sector to fortify our collective response.

ICMEC Australia has partnered with eight programs across catalytic data partnerships, technology applications, and prevention services.

Key project highlights

Australian RedFlag Accelerator CSE Portal (with RedCompass Labs)

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RedCompass Labs is a UK-based payments expert services company. The first recipient of support from our Child Protection Fund, we partnered with RedCompass Labs to localise the Global RedFlag Accelerator Typologies on CSE and, for the first time, make them easily accessible for Australian financial services institutions via an online portal. The Portal provides Australian financial services institutions with access to localised intelligence and trends to assist their work in detecting and reporting of CSE. 

Mark Dickson, Executive Manager, Financial Intelligence Unit at Westpac Group, said: “Having been involved from the very first user test group, I see great value in the Portal being used as a one-stop-shop for all Australian banks to access the latest CSE typologies. This is only possible through ICMEC Australia’s work in bringing RedCompass Lab’s global tool to Australia, enhancing the CSE detection capabilities for the Australian FinCrime community.”

Stop it Now! Australia program (with Jesuit Social Services)

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ICMEC Australia has partnered with Jesuit Social Services to support the service adaptation of the global child sexual abuse prevention service model - Stop It Now! - into Australia. The program offers an anonymous helpline, chat, and web resources for people concerned about their own sexual thoughts and behaviours towards children or to people concerned about the thoughts or behaviours of others - aiming to prevent child sexual abuse.

Stop It Now! has seen significant success internationally, including in the UK and Ireland. The knowledge base regarding the behaviours and characteristics of undetected offenders will be enhanced through the data and insights derived from this groundbreaking program in Australia. This will, in turn, assist ICMEC Australia and other stakeholders in the CSE response ecosystem to consider and develop innovative technological approaches to disrupt and prevent child sexual abuse offending from occurring in the first place.

Victim identification case data analysis program (with Queensland Police Service and led by Task Force Argos Victim Identification Manager, Paul Griffiths)

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In this project, ICMEC Australia supported world-leading victim identification expert Paul Griffiths to work with Australian and international law enforcement agencies to review close to 2,500 child exploitation cases and 40 distinct investigative techniques that were successfully employed in the identification of a child or suspected producer of child exploitation material. The analysis was presented to the INTERPOL Specialist Group on Crimes Against Children in early 2024.

Paul Griffiths said he was honoured to be supported for this critical initiative, stating, “I am certainly pleased with the way it has turned out, and INTERPOL was the ideal venue to share the outcomes; the project will be the catalyst for continued developments in the victim identification community.”

Catalytic data partnerships for the Lighthouse Data Product

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ICMEC Australia is collaborating with multiple leading data partners, who are equally invested in the detection and prevention of CSE. Partnerships like these are central to developing ICMEC Australia’s Lighthouse Data Product that provides participating financial services institutions and other key stakeholders with clues and indicators of CSE distribution methods, trends, analytics, and artefacts.

The ICMEC Australia Illuminate Program

The Illuminate Program lives up to its name by shining a light on the hidden crimes that often lurk in the darkness. This initiative recognises and honours those who have shown exceptional dedication to illuminating the path toward protecting children from harm.  

The Program features two key categories: Custodians and Allies. These categories recognise the unique roles of those who have gone above and beyond in the commitment to our mission, either by leading the way in child protection efforts or by actively supporting and amplifying our cause through a substantial financial or personal contribution.  

Custodians are individuals who have made profound and lasting contributions to the legacy of ICMEC Australia and remain deeply connected to our mission. Their unwavering dedication, resilience, and significant contributions over the years have been instrumental in shaping the impact our organisation has today.  

Custodian Recipients 

Paul McCarney 

Consultant, investor and entrepreneur in the Digital Technology and Marketing space. 

Having been involved with the global activities of the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC) for several years, he played a pivotal role in establishing ICMEC Australia as a separate entity. His efforts were instrumental in securing support from Westpac, which enabled us to develop our remit for fostering local partnerships and collaborations. 

Paul was ICMEC Australia’s CEO and Executive Chair from the inception of the organisation in 2021, stepping down as CEO and Executive Chair in 2022/2023.  

Bindu Sharma 

Vice President Global Policy & Industry Alliances  and Managing Director, Asia PacificInternational Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC) Singapore 

Bindu Sharma is Vice President Global Policy & Industry Alliances and Managing Director, Asia Pacific, at the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC) Global. As a key figure in the establishment of ICMEC’s Australian presence, we would like to recognise Bindu for her tireless efforts to raise the awareness and importance of this work and for creating valuable long-standing relationships that continue to contribute to ICMEC Australia’s impact today. 

An Ally plays a crucial role in building the systems and relationships that support our impact. Allies generously go the extra mile to offer their expertise, networks, and professional services, helping us enhance our operations and outreach. By sharing their skills and resources, they play a vital role in supporting our mission and enabling us to achieve our objectives more effectively. This valuable support strengthens our efforts and allows us to reach a wider audience with our message. 

Ally Recipients 

Jeremy Moller 
 
Senior Advisor and Lawyer (Special Counsel), Risk Advisory, Norton Rose Fulbright 

Jeremy Moller is a risk advisory lawyer with over 15 years' experience working in Australia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand specialising in anti-money laundering, international sanctions, and export controls as well as foreign transparency and influence. Jeremy has shared his expertise and networks with ICMEC Australia and ICMEC Global for many years through participation in the ICMEC Australia financial crime working group and by providing pro bono advice and guidance in our financial crime related activities. In addition, Jeremy plays an instrumental role in the success of our biggest event, the ICMEC Australia Symposium.  

Allens 

Our pro-bono legal provider  

Allens has generously provided pro bono legal expertise from a diverse range of practice areas, supporting ICMEC Australia with contractual arrangements under the Child Protection Fund, as well as cyber breach policies and privacy impact assessments for the Lighthouse Data Product. Special thanks to Gavin Smith, Partner of Allens' Technology, Media and Telecommunications practice, and his colleagues David Liao, Tracy Lu, Paul Mersiades, Isobel McKenzie, Martin Carter, and Christine Zhong, for their exemplary support. 

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