Child Exploitation.org
Australia
Child labour, a worldwide scourge, has become a growth industry in Australia over the past
15 years. Children as young as 7 have become an indispensable component of major
industries, particularly retail and clothing.
In the clothing industry, the Textile Clothing and Footwear Union estimates that 82,500
children under-16 are now working, usually at home alongside their parents, out of a total
workforce of 329 000. The sweatshop conditions in which they and other children often
work--including long hours, unsafe facilities and token wages--expose the myth that child
labour is confined to the "Third World".
Reports in the Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne Age newspapers last month gave a
glimpse into the situation. These reports primarily focused on the industrial injuries suffered
by youth.
Nationally on average 1,600 children aged between 12 and 16 are seriously injured,
maimed or killed each year in industry. In the most populous state of New South Wales
alone, eight children under 16 were killed, 232 suffered permanent disability and 2,013
received serious injuries between 1991 and 1997.
In Victoria, the WorkCover agency only provided figures for 15-16 year olds, showing that
3,579 had been seriously injured since 1985. Queensland had 467 serious injuries in 1997-
98 and 491 in 1996-97.
South Australia had claims from children as young as 11, with 314 reports of serious injury
in 1997-98. Western Australia recorded 61 serious injuries to 13 to 14 years olds from
1993 to 1997 and 226 for under 16s in 1996-97. Of these, 114 suffered fractures, 83
serious burns and 11 traumatic amputations.
These figures provide only a partial picture, covering those accidents that were officially
reported or led to compensation claims.
Some of the horrendous deaths and injuries included the death of a 14-year-old boy after
falling from milk truck; a 16-year-old boy suffocated by fumes inside an empty petrol tanker;
a 13-year-old boy crushed to death under an orchard sprayer; a 13-year-old boy killed
after his larynx was crushed by a strap pulling shopping trolleys; a 13-year-old girl sucked
into wheat silo; a 15-year-old boy poisoned by gas in an abattoir; and the maiming of a 15-
year-old girl who fell waist deep into a vat of boiling oil.
Patrick Parkinson, Professor of Law at the University of Sydney sees worrying gaps in local
standards
Britain’s laws regulating the hours that children can work were put in place in 1933. The
current law in the United States of America dates back to 1938. For decades, the
exploitation of child labour in developing countries has been a matter of international
concern.
Yet, remarkably, in New South Wales, in contrast to Victoria, Western Australia and the
Australian Capital Territory, the law imposes no restrictions on children’s employment,
apart from in the entertainment industry and a couple of other selected occupations. There
are no restrictions on the hours that children can work, and nor does the law prescribe a
minimum age for working. Many employers will not employ a child below the age of 14 years
and nine months, but this is not a legal requirement. It is just the earliest age at which
young people can be permitted to leave school. There is no law which prevents 11-year-old
children doing 30 hours work each week as long as it is not in school hours, or working a
12 hour day on a Saturday. There is no law which restricts children working through the
night to help a parent meet an employer’s deadline for sewing clothes.
Nor are there many laws which aim directly to protect children from dangers in the
workplace, either as employees or visitors. The general occupational health and safety
legislation does not specifically address the particular risks there may be for children in
workplaces. As an International Labour Organisation report put it:
Big Catch, But Little Room for Complacency
by Bob Burton CANBERRA—The recent arrest in different countries of 130 people
suspected of paedophile activity on the Internet was a major accomplishment, but activists
say there should be no let-up in the campaign against sexual exploiters of children. This
huge arrest was made on Nov. 30, thanks to a major international police investigation
involving police in 16 countries. One of those nabbed and charged with child pornography
was a 23-year-old Melbourne man. Police also confiscated a computer from a South
Australian man. The arrests were a result of investigations—initiated by police in Britain—
into discussions on Internet pornography chatrooms. The probes were coordinated with
police in Australia, New Zealand, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Italy, Israel,
France and Belgium. But activists working against child exploitation say efforts to combat
sexual exploitation of young people should also catch up with these technologies of the sex
trade, including the use of the Internet. More resources are required to investigate
information readily available on Australians involved in Internet child pornography, argues
Bernadette McMenamin, director of End Child Prostitution, Pornography and Trafficking
(ECPAT) Australia. "There are hundreds, if not thousands, of Australians involved in
Internet pornography rings and it needs dedicated long-term resources rather than just
thinking that dealing with one case initiated by British police is sufficient," she added. As it
is, McMenamin warns that Australia's early successes in combating the commercial sexual
exploitation of children—which resulted in the conviction of at least 10 offenders from 1995
to 2000—is at risk of being replaced by complacency. "Australia was one of the first to
really drive a lot of the global action but the point is you really have got to keep going," she
said in an interview. " I fear we are getting to a point in Australia where complacency is
setting in."
Imagine if half of Australia’s entire population was forced into the sex industry?
It’s hard to imagine, yet around 10 million children – mainly girls – are subject to forms of
sexual exploitation worldwide. (1) That’s equivalent to half of Australia’s entire population. A
further one million children enter the commercial sex trade each year. (2)
Sexual exploitation of children is one of the darkest abuses in our world. Some children are
directly involved in commercial sexual activity, while others are subject to abuse while
working as domestic servants or in other forms of labour.
It is devastating, but not inevitable. Strong measures are beginning to bring positive
outcomes for vulnerable children worldwide.
Child sex tourism
In many countries there is a large domestic market for commercial sexual exploitation of
children. In most areas the largest demand comes from locals.
Sadly there is also an international market for the sexual services of children, where visitors
from richer countries visit poorer countries to exploit children. (3) This is known as child sex
tourism.
More than 250,000 sex tourists visit Asia each year, with 25 percent coming from the United
States, 16 percent from Germany and 13 percent from both Australia and the United
Kingdom. (4)
Paedophilia, Pets and Porn
International Action Needed to Prevent Child Pornography
An international approach is needed to prevent internet child pornography before it starts
states NAPCAN
(National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect).
“The internet has no boundaries, so state or country based regulations are
practically meaningless,” says
Adam Foster, Executive Officer for NAPCAN who suggests a twopronged approach
to the problem.
“Western countries need to partner with developing countries – where most of the exploited
children come
from – to develop a global strategy. It’s not an impossible goal. If our leaders put the child
pornography trade
on the table with other issues of general trade, or included it in their discussions on
security, we could make
significant inroads into halting this terrible exploitation of children.”
Foster also urges countries such as Australia to address the underlying causes of child
sexual exploitation.
“UNESCO has identified that street children, poor children, juveniles from broken
homes, and disabled
minors are especially vulnerable to sexual exploitation and to being seduced or coerced
into the production of
pornographic material.
CHILD WISE Tourism
Child sex tourism and child prostitution is a huge and growing problem across South East
Asia involving hundreds of thousands of children. Australians significantly contribute to this
problem, and it is conservatively estimated that more than two thousand Australians travel
overseas to sexually exploit children each year.
‘Child Wise Tourism’ is a Child Wise project developed to provide training and assistance
to the tourism industry and to tourism educators in destinations where child sex tourism
exists or is emerging.
In order to provide training and assistance, Child Wise has built networks and partnerships
with key stakeholders including government tourism authorities, private sector travel and
tourism business, academic institutions and local NGOs. Recognising that most travel and
tourism professionals never get training on child rights or child protection, ‘Child Wise
Tourism’ set about creating the bridges between the different stakeholders.
At the 1996 Stockholm World Congress, the international tourism industry represented by
organisations such as UFTAA (Universal Federation of Travel Agents Associations), IATA
(International Air Transport Association) and the WTO (World Tourism Organisation)
declared their support for the campaign to end child sex tourism and went on to develop
declarations and guidelines. These were an important start; however, little was
subsequently done by the travel and tourism industry at the local level to train staff and
produce locally relevant guidelines for action.
Melbourne, Australia - Two men appeared in an Australian court on Friday charged with
sex slavery offences related to an alleged transnational syndicate exploiting women from
Thailand, Korea and Hong Kong, court officials said. Kam Tin Ho, 35, of no fixed address,
was charged at Melbourne magistrates court with entering into a commercial transaction
involving a slave and conducting a business that involved the sexual servitude of other
people. Chee Fui Hoo, 38, a Malaysian living in the Melbourne suburb of North Fitzroy, was
charged with three counts of possessing a slave. Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers
arrested the two in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra on Thursday. AFP agent
Josephine Accetta said Ho and another suspect, Hoting Yeung, ran two Melbourne brothels
where foreign women were forced to work as prostitutes. Hoo helped by keeping three Thai
women locked in a house and driving them to and from the brothels, Accetta told the court.
The women were among a group of at least seven who told police they were slaves.
Behalf of the delegations of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Our three countries are committed to enhancing the promotion and protection of the rights
of children, and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is our guide. Our actions go
beyond those specifically targeted at children, to include mainstreaming their rights within
other activities, at the national, regional and international levels. We also endorse
incorporation of a gender perspective in all programmes and policies related to children.
We support the work of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and call on all States
Parties to cooperate with it. The work of the Committee is key to promoting more effective
implementation of the Convention and its Optional Protocols.
Our countries support efforts to strengthen monitoring, reporting and accountability for
violations of children’s rights in armed conflicts. We encourage close co-ordination with
existing initiatives, such as those related to the protection of civilians in armed conflict. We
recognize and support the work of UN agencies and NGO partners, including the Special
Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict and his office.
Their efforts remain essential to combatting violations of children's rights and ensuring
adherence to relevant international law. In this regard, we encourage those member states
that have not done so to ratify the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in
Armed Conflicts. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court contains crucial
provisions criminalizing serious acts against children and we call upon States to ratify this
instrument without delay.
The unimaginable suffering of children who continue to be the victims of sexual exploitation,
including children being trafficked, can only be effectively addressed by collective action on
the part of the world’s states. We welcome the entry into force of the UN Convention
Against Transnational Organized Crime, as well as the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress
and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children. As well, our countries
support the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of
Children, Child Pornography and Child Prostitution. Measures must be taken at all levels to
combat such crimes, starting with action to address the problem of demand.
Just as our countries are convinced of the importance of universal acceptance of
international instruments, we are also concerned about the erosion of international
understandings on the rights of children. In particular, while we acknowledge the valuable
part played by the family in protecting and nurturing children, we are concerned that some
member States wish to re-interpret these rights of children exclusively within this family
framework, setting up a dichotomy between the rights of children and those of parents. We
should not forget that, inside and outside the family, children are a vulnerable party and in
need of protection. This is why, in the words of the Convention on the Rights of the Child,
“the interests of the child are paramount.”
Australia’s eight states and territories have primary responsibility for criminal laws
and their enforcement resulting in jurisdictional variations in the definition of
offences and the setting of policing priorities.
The Australian High Tech Crime Centre (AHTCC) was established in July 2003 to
co-ordinate police responses to high-tech crime.
The centre’s purpose is to reduce the jurisdictional difficulties that hamper the fight
against electronic crimes that cross multiple borders.
Situated in Canberra, the AHTCC hosts specialist police investigators from the
national Australian Federal Police and each of the states and territories. Other
police agencies are also represented at the centre and the Australian Institute of
Criminology is represented by a high-tech crime research analyst.
In the first year of operation, the AHTCC established two key areas of operation.
These were online child exploitation and the protection of banking and financial
services.
In relation to the latter, the major Australian banks seconded staff to the AHTCC to
work directly with police and had considerable success in working together to
combat phishing and related criminal activity.
Online child exploitation
In March 2004, the AHTCC—as a national co-ordinating body for high-tech crime—
received a referral from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement for Operation
Falcon, an American investigation into the child pornography business conducted
by Regpay and Connections USA.
In the initial referral, more than 1,700 credit-card transactions appeared to relate to
Australians. The AHTCC carried out a preliminary investigation to find out who on
the list could be identified and located. In the end, 708 Australians were positively
identified as suspects. The distribution of suspects across Australia reflected the
population distribution among the states and territories; the most heavily populated
state of New South Wales had to deal with the largest number of suspects—261 in
total.
Police agreed that a national day of action was necessary to prevent offenders from
being tipped off and eliminating incriminating evidence. This was important
because the only available charges at the time were for possessing child
pornography rather than accessing child pornography. The credit-card transaction
records alone would not necessarily secure a conviction for accessing material if
such a charge was available. Police from the sexual crime units of each state and
territory came together for two planning meetings to agree to the terms of the
national day of action.
Operation Auxin was a success based on national co-operation.
Some jurisdictions anticipated possible reluctance from judicial officers to authorize
search warrants for the possession of child pornography accessed from the Internet
over many months—if not years—before, based on their previous experience with
warrants. Applications for search warrants needed to be carefully drafted. The high-
tech crime research analyst reviewed the criminological literature on Internet-based
child pornography offences. A focus was placed on the individual’s persistence in
offending, his collecting behaviour and any associations noted between those who
view child pornography and those who abuse children offline. This review then
formed part of a search warrant preamble that was used across Australia.
Co-ordinated effort
The aim of the national day of action was to execute search warrants against as
many of the suspects as possible, at the same time. This day of action against child
pornography was unprecedented in Australian policing and was anticipated to
attract intense media interest. In fact, there had been increasing media attention
given to child abuse issues across Australia. In 2003, Governor General Peter
Hollingworth, formerly the Anglican
Archbishop of Brisbane, resigned following criticism of the way in which
he had dealt with child sex abuse allegations against a priest.
It was left to individual police forces to decide whether the national day of action
would be handled only by the sexual crime units or whether other police officers
should be involved. Some police agencies took the view that the operation should
be very tightly controlled to prevent media leaks.
The geographical size of each jurisdiction challenged all of the police services in
making such a commitment. In the weeks leading up to the national day of action,
Queensland police, for example, received an exemption that allowed their sexual
crimes unit to execute search warrants in the more remote parts of the province. In
that case, the risk of publicity was minimized by not involving local police and by
delaying the court appearance of those charged and bailed until after the national
day of action.
Police also agreed to target suspects based primarily on their assessed risk of
involvement in offline sexual assaults. Information used in this assessment included
whether a suspect was previously charged with a sexual offence or was subject to
an intelligence report to that effect; whether a suspect was in a position of trust,
particularly where that involved access to children; and whether a suspect lived in a
household with children. If the suspect fell into any of these categories, they were
considered a higher risk to offend.
As it happened, executing hundreds of search warrants meant that the national day
of action became six days of action. On Sept. 30, 2004, the AHTCC issued a press
release announcing the details of Operation Auxin.
Police executed more than 400 search warrants and made more than 150 arrests
in the first weeks. More suspects were subsequently charged following computer
forensic examinations. The penalties across Australia at the time ranged from
maximum prison sentences of six months to two years, with one state providing a
five-year maximum prison sentence.
In the wake of Operation Auxin, sentencing provisions have been tightened across
Australia. New South Wales and the Northern Territory have also removed a local
requirement for child pornography material to be classified as such by the national
Office of Film and Literature Classification, as this complicated the charging
process and caused significant delays in processing cases.
In addition, the national government introduced new laws prohibiting the use of a
telecommunications service to access child pornography, with a maximum penalty
of 10 years imprisonment for offenders. A new national law was also introduced to
prohibit the online grooming of a child for sexual purposes.
With these national laws, the Australian Federal Police also established a unit
known as the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Taskforce (OCSET). The OCSET
has the primary responsibility for investigating breaches of the national law. One of
its officers is represented at the AHTCC.
Operation Auxin was a success based on national co-operation. While cases are
still being resolved, owing to delays in forensic examination, the number and range
of persons involved is considerable and community awareness of online child
exploitation issues has greatly increased.
Offenders came from diverse professions including police officers, military
personnel, lawyers, religious ministers, doctors, nurses and other professionals. It is
hoped that further study into the behaviour and motivations of the persons caught
and their connection, if any, with offline offending against children, can be used to
better deal with the problem of online child exploitation in the future.
Tony Krone has worked as a senior prosecutor and defender in criminal practice.
He is currently the high-tech crime research analyst in a research partnership
between the Australian Institute of Criminology and the Australian High Tech Crime
Centre.
Imagine if half of Australia’s entire population was forced into the sex industry?
It’s hard to imagine, yet around 10 million children – mainly girls – are subject to
forms of sexual exploitation worldwide. (1) That’s equivalent to half of Australia’s
entire population. A further one million children enter the commercial sex trade each
year. (2)
Sexual exploitation of children is one of the darkest abuses in our world. Some
children are directly involved in commercial sexual activity, while others are subject
to abuse while working as domestic servants or in other forms of labour.
It is devastating, but not inevitable. Strong measures are beginning to bring positive
outcomes for vulnerable children worldwide.
Child sex tourism
In many countries there is a large domestic market for commercial sexual
exploitation of children. In most areas the largest demand comes from locals.
Sadly there is also an international market for the sexual services of children, where
visitors from richer countries visit poorer countries to exploit children. (3) This is
known as child sex tourism.
More than 250,000 sex tourists visit Asia each year, with 25 percent coming from
the United States, 16 percent from Germany and 13 percent from both Australia
and the United Kingdom. (4)
Both girls and boys are exploited, though girls are more often victims. Most
offenders are men, although women can be involved.
Tourism doesn’t cause child sexual exploitation, but it does increase opportunities
for it to happen. It’s easy for tourists to dismiss sex with children as a ‘bit of fun’
while on vacation.
Often travellers feel they exist outside the rules of their own country as well as those
of the one that they’re visiting. But what they are doing is exploiting vulnerable
children.
Australian children facing exploitation: ACTU
Australia's peak union body wants to raise awareness of child labour conditions in
Australia, saying children as young as eight are being forced to work.
A recent survey has shown half of young people working in fast food outlets suffer
an injury or illness at the workplace, while children as young as eight are being
forced to work.
ACTU president Sharan Burrow says children are being exploited in Australia.
"We've got a situation... in terms of particularly migrant workers but people who are
forced into outwork environments that we've got children as young as eight
working," she said.
"They're at risk of both injury but more important of that, being robbed of their
childhoods."
The ACTU is using the World Day of Action Against Child Labour to urge the
Federal Government not to axe the National Occupational Health and Safety
Commission.
The Government plans to replace the commission with a new Safety and
Compensation Council.
Ms Burrow says the decision is crazy given the number of children at risk.
Law enforcement agencies from across three continents launched a new web-
based initiative today to deter and prevent individuals from exploiting children
online. The new website - www.virtualglobaltaskforce.com - is part of the Virtual
Global Taskforce international partnership between law enforcement agencies and
industry in Canada, the UK, Australia, the US and Interpol. This alliance delivers
crime prevention and crime reduction initiatives with the aim of making the Internet
a safer place for children.
The website will act as a gateway to information on how to use the Internet safely,
and will link to a range of support agencies that can advise and support victims of
this type of abuse. It will also facilitate the ability of Internet users to report online
sexual exploitation to appropriate law enforcement agencies in a number of
different countries. The objective is for the website to become a "one stop shop" for
all information about the protection of children online.
“This project, with international policing partners, represents the kind of partnerships
that the National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre is working on to establish
internationally in the ongoing effort to protect the children of Canada and of the
world,” says Inspector Jennifer Strachan, Officer in Charge of the Centre which is an
integral part of RCMP National Police Services. “This type of crime has no borders
and is far reaching. We are committed to increasing the level of cooperation the
Center has with the international law enforcement community, industry and
government organizations in order to address the issues related to online sexual
exploitation of children in a more integrated fashion.”
The Virtual Global Taskforce was created in 2003 as a direct response to lessons
learned from investigations into online child abuse around the world. It is an
international alliance of law enforcement agencies comprising the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police, the National Crime Squad for England and Wales, the Australian
High Tech Crime Centre, the US Department of Homeland Security and Interpol.
The mission of the Virtual Global Taskforce is:
Raymond Colin Smith, 41, admitted committing indecent acts at Olongapo City with
two six-year-old girls on October 5, 1999 while he was working for a charity as a
ship’s engineer on MV Island Mercy. Smith was tried in Newcastle District Court
under the child sex tourism provisions of the Commonwealth Crimes Act. Judge
Ralph Coolahan sentenced him to three years jail backdated to May 23. He
directed that at the end of a 21-month non-parole period Smith be released on a
three-year bond with supervisory conditions. He also sentenced Smith to a
concurrent 18 months jail term on each of the other two offences.
Later in Newcastle Local Court, Smith pleaded guilty to having in his possession on
September 11 four CD-ROMs that contained about 2,760 images of child
pornography which were seized when the police raided Smith’s home. Magistrate
Alan Railton sentenced him on this charge to a concurrent 18 months jail.
Smith was allowed to work for the charity despite being on parole for similar
offences. In May 1977 in the Brisbane District Court, Smith had received an 18-
month suspended sentence and was placed on three years’ probation for 24
charges of pornography and indecent dealing involving girls as young as four. A
psychiatric report submitted to the court at the time found Smith should not have any
further contact with children.
David Cowie, director at the time of the Mercy Ships youth ministry, said he made a
tortured decision. "Do I leave him here in the Philippines to face the death penalty
or do I get him into the legal system? Rightly or wrongly, I sent him home," Mr Cowie
told reporters.
CANBERRA, (Reuters) - Child prostitution is on the rise in Australia with an
estimated 4,000 children as young as 10 selling sex for money and drugs, a new
report says. The study by Child Wise, the Australian arm of the global End Child
Prostitution Pornography And Trafficking group, is based on anecdotal evidence
and estimated that one in five children on the Internet was solicited by strangers for
sex.
,,More young people are at risk of exploitation and greater numbers are falling
through the gaps, maybe homeless or on drugs, and engaging in sex for survival",
Child Wise national director Bernadette McMenamin told Reuters. ,,It is impossible
to accurately estimate the number of child prostitutes as it is a hidden area but
we've found about 4,000 and all the indications are that the problem is increasing."
McMenamin said the study was released in time for the Second World Congress
Against the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the Japanese city of
Yokohama from December 17 to 20. She said the first world congress on child sex
exploitation in Stockholm five years ago raised awareness of the problems and
prompted a lot of rhetoric but not enough action. Figures released by the Council of
Europe last month estimated one million children are sexually victimised worldwide
in a clandestine market encompassing human trafficking, sex tourism, child
prostitution and pornography.
The Australian report, 'The Child Sex Trade Exposed', said child pornography had
flourished on the Internet. The Australian Broadcasting Authority took action last
year against 144 Web sites with offensive child material and 48 with paedophile
activity. But it was not just child pornography traded on the Internet that was a
concern, but men building online friendships, often lying about their age, and then
arranging to meet young people for sex, a practice known as ‘chicken hawking'.
The report cited the example of a 41-year-old Melbourne man who was arrested in
April this year after flying to Brisbane to meet a 12-year-old girl he had met online. ,,
But despite this happening, Australia is one of the few OECD nations that does not
have a national law enforcement response to child pornography and child sexual
exploitation on the Internet", McMenamin said. McMenamin said the rise in the
numbers of child prostitutes in Australia was also worrying, with some girls brought
into Australia from overseas to join the industry.
One example was Jennifer who left home at 13 after her parents separated and her
mother started drinking. Jennifer turned to drugs and started selling sex to support
her habit. ,,We might not be able to stop child prostitution but we can reduce the
numbers entering prostitution by identifying who is at risk and providing better
support services", McMenamin said. McMenamin said more was needed to stop
child sex tourists.
Australia was one of the first nations - in 1994 - to develop laws to prosecute
citizens buying sex from children overseas with seven successful convictions since
and one case pending. But a police unit set up in 1995 to investigate Australians
engaging in child sex tourism was closed this year. ,,We're paying lip service to
child sex tourism, which is growing, and an explosion in child pornography on the
internet is not being dealt with. We're losing the battle", McMenamim said.
Melbourne, February 28, 2005
NetAlert today announced that it is to work closely with the newly formed Online
Child Sex Exploitation Team (OCSET), to develop a range of training programs for
parents and teachers.
The programs will enable parents and teachers to learn about the dangers children
face online, as well as educating them on effective measures to take to make their
Internet experience a safe one.
“The formation of the OCSET is an important milestone in Australia’s battle to keep
its children safe from sexual predators on the Internet. As well as working closely
with the OCSET’s crime prevention officers, to develop education programs,
NetAlert will also be referring relevant cases to the OCSET,” Karyn Hart, NetAlert’s
Chair, said today.
Kevin Zuccato, Director of the High-Tech Crime Centre and NetAlert Director, said,
“The best way for parents and teachers to protect children from sexual predators on
the Internet is to teach them about online safety practices. We are delighted to be
working with NetAlert on initiatives such as the National Roadshow. Through
programs like the National Roadshow, parents and teaches are able to learn about
the dangers faced by children online as well as strategies for confronting these
issues."
Both NetAlert and the OCSET were established by the Federal Government to
prevent the physical and psychological abuse of children by sexual predators online.
As well as working together the two organisations work with a range of partners,
both international and domestically.
To coincide with the launch of the OCSET, on March 1, NetAlert will be
broadcasting a series of community service announcements on television and
radio, and has revamped it children’s website www.nettysworld.com.au to provide
parents a valuable educational resource to teach younger children about Internet
safety.
For immediate help with Internet safety, contact the NetAlert help line and speak
with a trained operator toll free on 1800 880 176.
Email enquiries@netalert.net.au or find us online at www.netalert.net.au/help.
Advice, information kits, and links to other Internet safety resources can all be found
at www.netalert.net.au or through NetAlert’s toll-free helpline on 1800 880 176.
NetAlert is Australia’s Internet safety advisory body, it was established by the
Australian Government in late 1999, to provide independent advice and education
on managing access to and usage of the Internet. NetAlert works closely with a
variety of bodies, at both a national and international level, in order to promote the
safety of children on the Internet.
End child exploitation, says teen ambassador
By Sophie Opei
March 10, 2006FOR all of us children, particularly those of us living in rural
communities of Pakistan, India and Ghana (where I come from) I thought I was
dreaming.
For me, Sophia, a poor girl from a poor family in Ghana going to Australia this was
awesome and historic.Plan has made this dream a reality. Australia seemed so far
away. We have learnt about Melbourne and the Commonwealth Games through
information technology even before we got here. As a result, we the youth of today,
have more and better opportunities to develop our potential more fully.This trip,
sponsored by Plan International, is just the tip of the iceberg of Plan’s role in making
a difference in the lives of children in deprived communities. Plan also helps to
promote the rights of children by supporting our communities in projects to fulfill the
rights of children in the area of our education, health, water, sanitation and livelihood
opportunities for our well-being and development.We are here to participate in Plan
Australia’s Commonwealth Games Youth Media Program to develop a platform for
information exchange between Australia and developing countries in addition to
building relationships among the youth groups.
Children today who make up 70 per cent of the Commonwealth are not always
given the opportunity to realise our full potential due to the lack of basic necessities
such as food, education, access to basic health services and to participate
meaningfully in discussions and policy issues affecting us. It is our hope that this
program would help us address these childhood challenges.I wish to appeal to our
leaders and Governments to stop paying lip service to the plight of children and to
commit more resources that are in the best interest of the child especially in the
area of child exploitation, lack of education, lack of a national identity so that we can
have the opportunity to grow up in a more secure, healthy environment for the
survival, protection, development and effective participation of all children.Over 48
million children each year are not registered at birth and this has serious
implications on our lives. Without a birth certificate, which is our ticket to citizenship,
our national identity, we children become more vulnerable and prone to exploitation,
abuse, neglect and insecurity.I hope we take advantage of this unique opportunity to
share ideas, share experiences of best practices from our cultures and traditions,
thoughts, information, and to take action for ourselves back home as change agents
in our respective communities to make a difference in our lives.The future depends
on us, today’s children, who will become tomorrow’s adults and leaders. So we
would like to believe that the Commonwealth will continue to grow from strength to
strength with our rights fulfilled and our potential well developed through effective
and meaningful child participation such as this Youth Media Commonwealth Games
initiative of Plan.I would like to ask children, youth and adults to commit and
contribute to make the Youth Media Commonwealth Program memorable by being
a part of Plan, a family of people with shared dreams, hopes and a common goal
which is to create a common wealth for all children, especially those living in
deprived communities.On behalf of all children and Plan Australia I say "ayeeko"
and akwaaba". Welcome to the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne March 2006
and have a very nice and wonderful Youth Media experience.
New guidance to protect children using chatrooms and search engines will be
published today by the Home Office, which is also giving more details of a new
Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre to be set up from next year.
Internet service providers have helped develop the guides to create a safer online
environment for children when they use moderated chat services or search engines.
The guidance says that providers should:
offer users a way of reporting material that is illegal or potentially harmful to children
offer content filtering on search engines
manually review and approve websites included in search services aimed at
children
consider whether they need human or automatic moderation for chatrooms
ensure where necessary staff who come into contact with children have had relevant
Criminal Records Bureau checks Publication of the guides coincides with the
Protecting Children Online EU/Virtual Global Taskforce conference in Belfast,
aimed at getting businesses, law enforcers and experts in the EU and around the
world to work together to protect children.
The Virtual Global Taskforce was created in 2003 as a direct response to lessons
learned from investigations into on-line child abuse around the world. It is an
international alliance of law enforcement agencies working together to make the
Internet a safer place.
Investigators, industry figures and child protection specialists from over 20 different
countries will share their expertise on limiting access to child abuse images,
safeguarding children online and tracking down and protecting children identified in
abuse images.
Paul Goggins, Home Office Minister and Chair of the Government's Taskforce on
Child Protection on the Internet, said:
"Countries across the EU and around the world are committed to making the
internet safe for children and cracking down on paedophiles' use of the internet. I
want to make sure that by working across international boundaries and involving the
internet industry, we keep children safe from abuse in the UK and the rest of the
world.
"These guides will ensure safer online standards for our children. The internet is a
great tool for children with massive benefits for our society, but we know that
paedophiles will target children in any setting they can. Our message to them is
clear - there is no place for online abuse anywhere in the world, and our police are
one step ahead in the fight to protect children."
Peter Robbins of the Internet Watch Foundation praised the development of the
guidance. He said:
"Navigating the internet has never been more popular than today. This guidance is
an excellent example of significant industry members collaborating in a partnership
to protect children from any illegal and offensive content they might come across
through use of their services.
"The guidance is aimed at raising awareness amongst parents and carers of
children, and setting a benchmark for internet service providers to aspire to."
Mr Goggins also announced the appointment of National Crime Squad Deputy
Director Jim Gamble as Chief Executive of the UK's new Child Exploitation and
Online Protection Centre, which will be operational from April 2006.
The Centre will provide a single point of contact for the public, law enforcers, and
the communications industry to report targeting of children online, and will offer
advice and information to parents and potential victims of abuse 24 hours a day.
Based in London with up to 100 staff, it will also carry out proactive investigations
and work with police forces around the world to protect children.
Mr Goggins added:
"In the UK our law enforcement agencies are some of the best in the world at
policing online abuse. I am pleased to announce today that I am appointing Jim
Gamble as the Chief Executive of a new centre dedicated to protecting children
from abuse and exploitation. The centre's work will be absolutely vital in the
continuing fight against those who seek to abuse children."
Jim Gamble said:
"The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre will be a terrific opportunity for
us to tackle the root causes of child abuse, both online and elsewhere, rather than
just addressing the symptoms.
"I am delighted at my appointment to Chief Executive of the centre when it is
launched in April. This is a unique opportunity to build something which can truly
make a difference to every child everywhere and I look forward to working with our
partners across law enforcement, Government charity and industry to this end."
Some of the UK's best known communications businesses are already partners in
the Virtual Global Taskforce, including AOL, Microsoft, BT, Vodafone and Lycos.
The Football Association recently signed up to help protect young football fans
online.
An international police website set up to receive reports of online ‘grooming’ has
received over 250 reports in its first year.
www.virtualglobaltaskforce.com (VGT) allows children to report concerns over
suspicious activity online directly to a police officer. This could include, for example,
a conversation where a child is being groomed online for sex.
The child can simply ‘cut and paste’ a section of conversation which is then
transmitted to an officer in the Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT)
based at the National Crime Squad.
A number of investigations are ongoing as a result of reports received via VGT.
The VGT is a partnership of law enforcement agencies from around the world who
are working together to fight paedophiles who use the internet to abuse and exploit
children. This includes the downloading of abusive images of children. The VGT
website was launched in January 2005.
VGT was launched in January 2005 by an international partnership of law
enforcement agencies working together to fight paedophiles who use the internet to
abuse and exploit children. This includes the downloading of abusive images of
children.
Since then, 250 reports have been received, half of which relate to allegations of
grooming online. The remaining 50 per cent relate to inappropriate comments or
chat - for example, on message boards, in news groups or on websites - or
harrasment and bullying online.
Around 20% of reports come directly from children and young people around 30%
are from parents*.
Jim Gamble, Deputy Director of the National Crime Squad and Chairman of the
Virtual Global Taskforce said:
"Paedophiles who use the internet to abuse and exploit children should know that if
they attempt to groom a child online, they could end up with a police officer on their
doorstep.
The Virtual Global Taskforce has empowered children online. We want every child
in the UK to save www.virtualglobaltaskforce.com to their ‘favourites’ - then they ‘re
only one click away from a police officer.”
In addition to enabling children and adults to report concerns over suspicious
activity, the site also acts as a gateway to a range of information about online safety
and links to support agencies that can assist victims of abuse.
The online reporting facility currently operates in the UK and Australia but will be
rolled out in Canada and the USA over the coming months. The site has received
17 million hits in its first year and is accessible via 4,000 other websites worldwide.
Australian Initiative to Combat People Trafficking
I am pleased to launch officially the Asia Regional Cooperation to Prevent People
Trafficking project to help combat the trafficking of women and children in South
East Asia.
This initiative, funded by an Australian contribution of $8.5 million, is being delivered
through the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) in
cooperation with ASEAN and partner country governments.
Trafficking of women and children, including for sexual exploitation, both regionally
and globally, is of increasing concern. It has been identified by ASEAN as a priority
issue for regional cooperation.
Australia is working closely with ASEAN and partner country governments in the
region to develop cross-country prevention and prosecution mechanisms to deal
with people traffickers and develop practical measures to counter this illegal trade
more effectively.
The project began in April of this year and is now underway in Cambodia, Laos,
Burma and Thailand.
In Southeast Asia alone it is estimated that up to 225,000 women and children are
being trafficked annually for sexual and labour exploitation. Australia will continue to
work in partnership with countries, especially in the Asia Pacific region, to tackle
this ongoing problem.
This project is part of a much broader package of Australian development
assistance aimed at combating people smuggling, trafficking in women and related
trans-national crime in the Asia Pacific region worth approximately $24 million over
six years.
The Australian Government will continue to support regional efforts to counter trans-
national crime, and will provide funding for programs that combat people trafficking,
reduce poverty, and assist the most vulnerable communities in our region.
Mr Downer is in Cambodia for the annual ASEAN Regional Forum meeting.
Contacts:
Chris Kenny (Minister's office) 02 6277 7500 or 0419 206 890
Jo Elsom (AusAID) 02 6206 4960 or 0412 804 489
Hearing or seeing domestic violence traumatizes children psychologically and has
a devastating impact on their emotional and psychological well-being. Statistics
suggest that children who witness domestic violence are:
· 24 times more likely to commit sexual assault crimes
· 50% more likely to develop substance abuse problems
· 74% more likely to commit crimes against another person
· 6 times more likely to commit suicide.
Violence is a learned behavior. Statistics suggest that 90% of children who live in
violent homes witness acts of abuse. A study reported in Child Advocate
newsmagazine indicates that in families where domestic violence is present the
likelihood of child abuse and neglect is fifteen times greater than in the overall
population. Other studies conclude that half of all men who batter their wives also
are abusive to their children and that women victims of domestic violence also are
far more likely to abuse their children.
There is a generational pattern of family violence. Domestic violence literature
suggests that boyswho witness domestic abuse are five times more likely to abuse
their female partners than boys who grew up in non-violent homes. Another study
concluded that 75% of boys who witness domestic abuse struggle with behavioral
problems throughout their lives.
Many children who witness domestic violence suffer emotionally, physically and
developmentally. Some children are physically injured when trying to intervene to
protect the battered parent. It is not unusual for children who witness domestic
violence to experience guilt, shame, fear and low self-esteem. Other consequences
include nightmares; acting aggressively towards family, friends or property;
stomach problems; bed-wetting; insomnia; and verbal, cognitive or other
developmental delays.
Children who witness domestic abuse frequently develop unhealthy beliefs about
themselves, the world, and the nature of relationships. They may conclude that it is
typical for conflicts to be resolved with violence, and that it is appropriate for men to
assume the dominating role in a relationship.
Children’s reactions to domestic violence vary depending on age. Pre-school aged
children may suffer from panic, separation anxiety or nightmares -- and either
withdraw emotionally or act out inappropriately. Disruptions in routine can heighten
feelings of helplessness and be particularly painful for young children.
Consequently, both the battered spouse and the children may struggle with financial
difficulties and the stress of relocation when leaving an abusive relationship.
School-aged children may feel depressed, blame themselves for the violence or
grow distrustful of adults. It is common for school-aged children who witness
domestic violence to fluctuate between passive and aggressive behaviors,
including aggression towards others. They may complain of physical symptoms,
such as stomachaches, and become destructive to property.
Adolescents growing up in violent homes may feel shame and guilt, or act out in
anger or with violence. They feel a sense of hopelessness and a growing distrust of
adults. School performance may decline, and the risk of substance abuse and
sexual behavior increases. Teenagers who witness domestic violence frequently
draw unhealthy conclusions about the co-existence of love and violence.
Custody decisions in domestic violence cases present challenging and dangerous
situations. Violence is more likely to occur in abusive relationships when the victim
seeks to end the relationship, sometimes by filing for divorce or custody.
The reason for this increased likelihood of violence is because domestic abuse is
about control. Men who abuse women may use custody proceedings as a playing
card and see gaining custody of the children as another method of continuing to
control the family unit even after separation. In some cases, the abusive parent may
abduct the children. Once a victim has taken steps to establish independence the
perpetrator of domestic violence may begin to feel that his authority is threatened,
and may attempt to use the children as a scare tactic to control the victim or
manipulate her into submission.
Visitation between children and a domestic violence perpetrator must be carefully
considered. By demonstrating abusive behavior, the perpetrator has shown
inappropriate parenting and a lack of consideration for the emotional well being of
the children.
Some judges, caseworkers and attorneys believe that unless the father has abused
the children, his abuse of his wife is not relevant to evaluating his capability to be a
good father. Focusing on whether the children have been abused ignores the fact
that spousal abuse has a dramatic and detrimental impact on the emotional and
physical health of children. Children may identify with the “victor” in the violent
altercations they witness. Children as young as six or seven begin to model the
behavior of the aggressor and see violence as the acceptable method of producing
desired results. A child may try to manipulate the victim by saying something like:
“Give me what I want or I will tell Dad to hit you.” Witnessing repeated acts of
violence may cause children to lose respect for the victim instead of sympathizing
with them. Sadly, many of these child-witnesses later either will repeat the behaviors
they witness or accept violence in their own adult relationships because they never
learned other ways to relate or resolve conflict.
It is important to limit the children’s exposure to parental conflict and to be aware
that the greatest risk of violence is during visitation exchanges. There have been
several cases where a father has murdered his spouse and/or children while
picking up the children for visits. The potential for continued violence must be taken
into account when courts determine what custody and visitation arrangements are in
each child’s best interests.
Many professionals believe that the most effective stand a victim can take is to
separate themselves and their children from the perpetrator. Unfortunately, without
strong community support systems, the abuse often worsens upon separation. One
study found that 75% of calls to the police requesting intervention in domestic
violence disputes were made after separation. The abuse often escalates as the
perpetrator becomes desperate to
retain control. Many women who have stayed with their perpetrator report that they
only stayed after their children were threatened.
Unfortunately the victims of domestic violence are often criticized for remaining in
the house with the perpetrator. Many people are under the assumption that a
separation would end the violence, and may accuse victims who stay of not
protecting their children. The literature regarding victims of domestic violence
indicates that many victims decide not to leave their abusers due to:
· Financial considerations (Victim does not have the means to be on their own).
· Lack of a support system (Victim feels they have no where else to go.)
· Abuser threatens to kill the victim or the children of the victim
· Victim believes that the situation will change
· Victim believes in the traditional values of marriage, and that divorce is not an
option.
· Victim believes, after repeated abuse and consequent low self-esteem, that
they deserve the violence and have no other alternatives.
It is important that the courts and the community take an active role in protecting
children from domestic violence. Rarely is the emotional impact on children
addressed. Without a support system, it is difficult for victims to protect themselves
and their children. Professionals should be ready to strategize and follow-through
with carefully planned interventions.
One approach and resource that has helped in several communities is the idea of
supervised visitation centers—a facility where parents can safely exchange children
and where supervised visitation is available if needed. That type of arrangement
supports a continuing and safer relationship between the father and child without
endangering the mother and children.
Although children may not be the physical victims of domestic abuse, they will carry
the images, sounds and emotional scars of domestic violence throughout their
lives. It is important to take steps to break the generational cycle of domestic
violence by helping children to understand that there are other ways that adults in
relationships interact and resolve conflict.
Rise in Number of Street Children Follows Global Economic Slump
The growing global economic crisis increased the number of children who live on
urban streets, straining the coping mechanisms of societies from Romania to
Rwanda to Guatemala. The problem-once mainly a result of migration from rural to
urban areas-is compounded by internal armed conflict and sudden economic
collapse around the globe. In Madagascar's capital, Antananarivo, more than 6,000
children who live and sleep on the street receive no public services and face
frequent police harassment. In the Philippine capital of Manila, repression of the
estimated 75,000 street children is on the rise. Many of the children have families
but poverty compels them to beg for money on city streets, where they often face
arrest. For Manila's 5,000 to 7,000 "full-time" street children with no family, neither
prison nor public rehabilitation centers offer care for the serious trauma, such as
sexual abuse, that many have suffered.
The sobering factsOnline child pornography is a global problem. With the advent of
the personal computer and the Internet, individuals can easily transmit child
pornography in seconds to all corners of the world. Here are some facts about child
pornography and the Internet:
An estimated 100,000 Web sites are involved in some way with child pornography.
International Internet trafficking of child pornography is proliferating at an alarming
rate. Since January 2000, the U.S. Customs CyberSmuggling Center in Fairfax,
Va., has reviewed more than 10,000 tips.
Internet related child exploitation is relatively new. Unfortunately, it has been the
driving force behind the resurgence of child pornography.
Pedophiles often use the very latest computer encryption software to encrypt their
photographs or put them in a code that can only be read with special software.
Child pornography images can be downloaded onto a computer and sent over the
Internet to anywhere in the world
Child Prostitution in New Zealand
As with every other area of commercial sexual exploitation of children, estimating
the true nature and extent of child prostitution in New Zealand is very difficult due to
the clandestine nature of the activity. However, research and anecdotal evidence
suggest that child prostitution is a growing problem in New Zealand. ECPAT NZ
has recently completed the first stage of a three-stage research project on the
extent of CSEC in New Zealand. Initial findings revealed that child prostitution is
reported throughout New Zealand, in rural districts and towns as well as cities.
The underlying reasons for young people becoming involved in sex work are
complicated and multi-layered. Increased awareness and research overseas has
indicated that the majority of children do not enter into prostitution willingly and that
their participation is indicative of compulsion or desperation rather than choice.
Children drawn into prostitution do not come from one particular background. Some
may still be living with parents or caregivers, others may be living away from home
in residential care, while others may have run away and be homeless. There is not a
single pattern; children may enter prostitution through a number of pathways
including homelessness, family breakdown, pressure from friends already involved
in prostitution, sexual abuse, poverty, drug/ alcohol misuse, educational
underachievement or unemployment. Frequent school absences or absence for an
extended period, either through truancy or suspension, may also make children
especially vulnerable. The government has recognised the need to keep young
people in the education system by increased funding to expand alternative
education places for those who are too disruptive or alienated to remain in regular
classes.
A 38-year-old Australian university student accused of being part of an international
online child pornography ring had more than 80,000 images on his computer, police
said today.
Three other Australians have also been arrested during an international operation
by police who allege the ring traded in pornography featuring children as young as
18 months, and images including streamed videos of live molestations.
A total of 29 people have been arrested in Australia, the United States, Canada
and Great Britain, the Australian Federal Police said today.
The man from the inner western suburb Brisbane suburb of Ashgrove appeared in
the Brisbane Magistrates' Court on March 7, charged with the possession and
distribution of child exploitation material, police said.
He was remanded in custody to appear in court again on April 24.
If convicted, he could face a maximum of 10 years in prison.
Queensland Police did not release details of his involvement in the ring until today
for fear of alerting at least 28 other men from five countries also allegedly involved in
the ring.
A 30-year-old man from Bennett's Green, near Newcastle, has been granted bail
and is due to appear in Belmont local court on April 27.
A 22-year-old man from the northern Brisbane suburb of Stafford is expected to
appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on April 7 and a 56-year-old man from
Mill Park in Victoria has been summonsed to appear in court at a later date.
They have been charged with using a carriage service for child pornography
material and possession of child pornography material.
Police said they believe they have caught all the Australians involved.
"This is a group of dedicated paedophiles around the world who are using this
secure chat room to trade large volumes of child pornography," said Queensland
Police Service Child Safety Director Detective Superintendent Ross Barnett.
"We are told by authorities in the US that also involved live video streaming of
children being abused in real time for the benefit of members of the group."
Supt Barnett said the Ashgrove student allegedly had 17 gigabytes of pornographic
child images on his computer, which amounted to more than 80,000 images, he
said.
The ring was smashed after detectives in the United States and Canada infiltrated
an internet chatroom which was hosted in the US.
Investigations were still underway and it was not yet known if any of the abuse
occurred in Australia or how many other child internet porn rings were believed to
be still in operation.
"This is just one of the many paedophile rings that exist around the world," Supt
Barnett said.
The investigation has so far identified seven child victims, some as young as 18
months, including an infant whose molestation in April by a US man was transmitted
live via an internet chat room to a co-conspirator who used the screen name
"BigtDaddy619".
Four of those charged allegedly molested the children, making the resulting images
available in the chat room called "Kiddypics & Kiddyvids'' that facilitated trading of
thousands of images and videos, US authorities said yesterday.
A number of their young residents come from Sydney for drug rehabilitation
services and have often experienced periods of homelessnes. There are however,
limited specific specialist services for children and young people who are the
victims of sexual exploitation, trafficking or internet abuse in the area. Within
Australia ECPAT, UNICEF and Child Wise campaign against these abuses, and
there are a number of projects who provide support for victims, such as rape crisis
centres however, this is often in addition to their main area of work.
I was informed by both the Ted Noff’s project and The Jetty Bunker project in Coff's
Harbour that over the past few years there has been an increase in young people's
abuse through sexually exploitative relationships and that those children in
residential care, or who are homeless are most vulnerable to this form of abuse.
The legalization of Adult prostitution in Australia continues to recieve a mixed
response from a number of agencies who have concerns that there is a hidden side
to the abuse of women and children. In Queensland a pressure group of over 500
members are opposed to legal brothels on the grounds that these are not
adequately checked by Police or the Local authorities and that there are concerns
that the abuse of children and women go undetected. A Former Australian Labor
Party Official was recently sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty
on child prostitution charges in Nov 2004. Neville Francis Hilton was found guilty of
19 charges including obtaining a benefit from child prostitution. Two young girls
aged 13 and 14 year old were found ‘working’ at a brothel part owned by Mr. Hilton
in August last year, he has since been sacked from his position in the Australian
Labor Party. The concern here for many is the fact that as a Labor official and a
public figure, he abused his position not only as the co-owner of a brothel but a
brothel that exploited and abused children.
Fishing For The Pieces
First of all I want to thank all the people that have read my journal and sent me e-
mails, I never thought that I would get such positive feedback from so many people,
it has been a pretty amazing experience for me to read some of the e-mails that
people from all over the world have sent me and I just wanted to take the time to say
thank you everyone for all the support and encouragement, it means a lot to me.
Since it has been quite some time now since my last update, and I know some
people may have been thinking I have dropped of radar never to be seen again
(which is not true), I have achieved some of my goals and am still trying to work out
others.
The biggest achievement is that I'm still here, still trying and still willing to push
myself in changing my life. It has now been close to a year and I still think I am doing
the right thing, I don't have any doubts that I have made the correct decision, I have
had my ups and downs, some days have been a lesson in patience but I am getting
better at dealing with my new environment and the difficulties I face each day aren't
as hard or as stressful as they once were.
The other significant achievement in my life is that I have made a few friends so I no
longer feel as isolated as I once did. Having friends who are not from the street has
given me a lot of perspective and I have come to value the time I spend with them
almost as much as the time I spend with my street friends.
Over the course of the last couple of months I stressed a little bit about the amount
of forward progress I have made in the time since I last made an entry to my journal,
and then I thought it isn't important how much I achieve but how hard I try.
Some of the things I have been trying to attain have been quite a bit different in the
doing then in the thinking and I know I am still not ready to try others, so I have been
slowly changing the way I have been doing things.
I am learning that asking questions and talking with people about their methods is a
very helpful way of learning about the differences that separate me and my old life
and me and my new life that I am building.
I have realized that I can do a lot more then I ever thought possible and there is no
time limit, this is not a project or an exam that can be finished in one or two days,
but an ongoing process that will probably never end.
Timing has become the biggest contributing factor in all my life altering decisions,
am I ready, does it need to be done right now or can it wait, how important is
success or failure, these are the things I place the most importance on now, not
what I am doing.
I feel that considering the amount of time I spent on the street what possible
difference is a couple of months going to make in the grand scheme of my life and
where I want to be say in five years time.
I spent a lot of time learning what is in my life that needs changing and how
important it is that I change these things and why, and then even longer thinking
about what these changes will mean to me and how they will effect my day to day
thinking.
There is just so much that I want to change that I know I could never do it all in a year
or even five so I am in no rush, in fact this last six months has probably been better
then any other six month period in my life.
Just the small things I have found have been the biggest reward to come out of
changing my life, not having to worry where my next meal is coming from and having
clean clothes every day without any of the hassles involved of my old life, doing
things like taking the dog for a walk to get the morning paper and some fresh bread
for breakfast are the highlights of my week now.
I still feel a strong attachment to the street and all my family there and I still see them
as often as I can, but being able to come home at the end of the day is kind of a
relief, I'm not saying that there aren't times when I wish I wasn't back there but they
are fairly rare nowadays and the urge is nowhere near as strong as it once was.
All I have done up to this point and the happiness I get out of each day is enough to
take away even the strongest urges these days and this in itself is a big
achievement for me, it means I made true progress and if I have come this far in
only one short year imagine where I will be next year.
Once again thank you all for the e-mails and the words of support, keep checking in
from time to time and share in my journey towards a better life.
This study provides further support for the findings of previous studies regarding the
factors which lead to homelessness among young people. Homelessness most
clearly arises from a lack of access to affordable safe accommodation. This said,
the experiences of young people where early home leaving occurs are typified
either by a long-term proscess where the young person feels a lack of emotional
support, often associated with abuse, domestic violence, negative school
experience, rejection accompanying repartnering of a parent, or as a result of one
or more specific events which involve grief or loss, or a combination of any or all of
the above. The view that the provision of income support for homeless young
people provides an inducement for early home leaving is not borne out in this
research.
While a number of current Commonwealth and State/Territory policies acknowledge
the importance of prevention and/or early intervention, few programs and services
are specifically directed to these purposes. Outside of the Attorney-General's
adolescent mediation and family therapy programs, some Supported
Accommodation Assistance Program services, a small number of alternative care
services, and a small number of school focused services, there are few recurrently
funded services to young people and their families exist.
The study found that young people see their relations with parents, or other parent
figures as central to their capacity to remain at home. Young people indicated they
principally left home because of conflict with parents, various forms of abuse,
because they were kicked out, and/or because of drug and alcohol related issues.
Themes of a lack of felt emotional support, a culture of blame, and unresolved grief
and loss pervade the accounts of these young people. Young people suggested
that well in advance of home leaving occurring, there needs to be improved parental
and adult attitudes and behaviours to them, greater understanding of the impact of
new parental partners on them, a halt to abuse, and early access to third party
facilitation of communication. Young people indicated that when home leaving first
occurs they needed a clear idea of where to get help, recognition that it was a very
stressful time for them, short and long-term accommodation options, culturally
sensitive services and immediate response to their calls for assistance.
The dominant view of young people was that they should be respected and listened
to more, and specifically that parental attitudes and behaviour should alter. Overall
they see communication based strategies as the ones most frequently needed,
though they indicate such services can be unhelpful and even destructive if they do
not recognise the young person as a person in his or her own right, with views,
feelings, and important information. Counselling and many other helping strategies,
often appear to young people as biased or unempathetic. When young people find
others acting and speaking in a way which presumes they are themselves the
problem, they quickly dismiss such assistance as useless.
Parents' accounts of their experience of early homeleaving which results in
homelessness leave in no doubt the distress, anger, defensiveness and
embarrassment that they often feel. Parents generally identify their children as the
'problem', while at the same time indicating significant levels of difficulty, instability,
stress, and problematic behaviour within the family, and specifically, in relation to
one or more parent/s or adults.
Parents report great difficulty in gaining adequate responses from service providers
at critical times, prior to and after home leaving. Parents report the same range of
issues as causing early home leaving as do young people with the exception that
parents do not include the feelings and perspectives of their children as issues. It is
significant that although there is a degree of similarity in parents' and young
people's definitions of home (where people feel loved, safe, supported) parents do
not, as young people do, include in their definitions specific behaviours which
indicate how such feelings are developed and maintained (through listening, getting
problems sorted out, talking to each other). This, together with a tendency to blame,
and exclude from discussion their own role in the process of early home leaving,
supports the view that parents have a substantial'blind spot' about the antecedents
of early home leaving.
The implications for parent support and education strategies include the need to
examine the notion of home from a child's perspective, for parents to develop the
capacity to self-reflect on the behaviours that are consistent with their own notions of
home, and to develop skills in discussing these matters with children. Parents
indicated that in order to prevent homelessness among young people, most needed
were whole of family counselling or family mediation, time out accommodation, and
changed school practices.
The national survey of service providers indicated the most detailed and clearly
thought out early intervention services were being provided by young people-family
mediation programs, whole of school approaches (as opposed to add on, targeted
at risk strategies) and SAAP services which have a significant focus on young
people 12 to 15 years of age. Seventy-five per cent of services indicated there was
a need for greater collaboration between community based service providers and
schools. Constraints to the undertaking of early intervention or prevention work were
cited as the limitations of program funding parameters, inadequate resources, and
institutional practices which mitigate against undertaking this work.
15 years. Children as young as 7 have become an indispensable component of major
industries, particularly retail and clothing.
In the clothing industry, the Textile Clothing and Footwear Union estimates that 82,500
children under-16 are now working, usually at home alongside their parents, out of a total
workforce of 329 000. The sweatshop conditions in which they and other children often
work--including long hours, unsafe facilities and token wages--expose the myth that child
labour is confined to the "Third World".
Reports in the Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne Age newspapers last month gave a
glimpse into the situation. These reports primarily focused on the industrial injuries suffered
by youth.
Nationally on average 1,600 children aged between 12 and 16 are seriously injured,
maimed or killed each year in industry. In the most populous state of New South Wales
alone, eight children under 16 were killed, 232 suffered permanent disability and 2,013
received serious injuries between 1991 and 1997.
In Victoria, the WorkCover agency only provided figures for 15-16 year olds, showing that
3,579 had been seriously injured since 1985. Queensland had 467 serious injuries in 1997-
98 and 491 in 1996-97.
South Australia had claims from children as young as 11, with 314 reports of serious injury
in 1997-98. Western Australia recorded 61 serious injuries to 13 to 14 years olds from
1993 to 1997 and 226 for under 16s in 1996-97. Of these, 114 suffered fractures, 83
serious burns and 11 traumatic amputations.
These figures provide only a partial picture, covering those accidents that were officially
reported or led to compensation claims.
Some of the horrendous deaths and injuries included the death of a 14-year-old boy after
falling from milk truck; a 16-year-old boy suffocated by fumes inside an empty petrol tanker;
a 13-year-old boy crushed to death under an orchard sprayer; a 13-year-old boy killed
after his larynx was crushed by a strap pulling shopping trolleys; a 13-year-old girl sucked
into wheat silo; a 15-year-old boy poisoned by gas in an abattoir; and the maiming of a 15-
year-old girl who fell waist deep into a vat of boiling oil.
Patrick Parkinson, Professor of Law at the University of Sydney sees worrying gaps in local
standards
Britain’s laws regulating the hours that children can work were put in place in 1933. The
current law in the United States of America dates back to 1938. For decades, the
exploitation of child labour in developing countries has been a matter of international
concern.
Yet, remarkably, in New South Wales, in contrast to Victoria, Western Australia and the
Australian Capital Territory, the law imposes no restrictions on children’s employment,
apart from in the entertainment industry and a couple of other selected occupations. There
are no restrictions on the hours that children can work, and nor does the law prescribe a
minimum age for working. Many employers will not employ a child below the age of 14 years
and nine months, but this is not a legal requirement. It is just the earliest age at which
young people can be permitted to leave school. There is no law which prevents 11-year-old
children doing 30 hours work each week as long as it is not in school hours, or working a
12 hour day on a Saturday. There is no law which restricts children working through the
night to help a parent meet an employer’s deadline for sewing clothes.
Nor are there many laws which aim directly to protect children from dangers in the
workplace, either as employees or visitors. The general occupational health and safety
legislation does not specifically address the particular risks there may be for children in
workplaces. As an International Labour Organisation report put it:
Big Catch, But Little Room for Complacency
by Bob Burton CANBERRA—The recent arrest in different countries of 130 people
suspected of paedophile activity on the Internet was a major accomplishment, but activists
say there should be no let-up in the campaign against sexual exploiters of children. This
huge arrest was made on Nov. 30, thanks to a major international police investigation
involving police in 16 countries. One of those nabbed and charged with child pornography
was a 23-year-old Melbourne man. Police also confiscated a computer from a South
Australian man. The arrests were a result of investigations—initiated by police in Britain—
into discussions on Internet pornography chatrooms. The probes were coordinated with
police in Australia, New Zealand, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Italy, Israel,
France and Belgium. But activists working against child exploitation say efforts to combat
sexual exploitation of young people should also catch up with these technologies of the sex
trade, including the use of the Internet. More resources are required to investigate
information readily available on Australians involved in Internet child pornography, argues
Bernadette McMenamin, director of End Child Prostitution, Pornography and Trafficking
(ECPAT) Australia. "There are hundreds, if not thousands, of Australians involved in
Internet pornography rings and it needs dedicated long-term resources rather than just
thinking that dealing with one case initiated by British police is sufficient," she added. As it
is, McMenamin warns that Australia's early successes in combating the commercial sexual
exploitation of children—which resulted in the conviction of at least 10 offenders from 1995
to 2000—is at risk of being replaced by complacency. "Australia was one of the first to
really drive a lot of the global action but the point is you really have got to keep going," she
said in an interview. " I fear we are getting to a point in Australia where complacency is
setting in."
Imagine if half of Australia’s entire population was forced into the sex industry?
It’s hard to imagine, yet around 10 million children – mainly girls – are subject to forms of
sexual exploitation worldwide. (1) That’s equivalent to half of Australia’s entire population. A
further one million children enter the commercial sex trade each year. (2)
Sexual exploitation of children is one of the darkest abuses in our world. Some children are
directly involved in commercial sexual activity, while others are subject to abuse while
working as domestic servants or in other forms of labour.
It is devastating, but not inevitable. Strong measures are beginning to bring positive
outcomes for vulnerable children worldwide.
Child sex tourism
In many countries there is a large domestic market for commercial sexual exploitation of
children. In most areas the largest demand comes from locals.
Sadly there is also an international market for the sexual services of children, where visitors
from richer countries visit poorer countries to exploit children. (3) This is known as child sex
tourism.
More than 250,000 sex tourists visit Asia each year, with 25 percent coming from the United
States, 16 percent from Germany and 13 percent from both Australia and the United
Kingdom. (4)
Paedophilia, Pets and Porn
International Action Needed to Prevent Child Pornography
An international approach is needed to prevent internet child pornography before it starts
states NAPCAN
(National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect).
“The internet has no boundaries, so state or country based regulations are
practically meaningless,” says
Adam Foster, Executive Officer for NAPCAN who suggests a twopronged approach
to the problem.
“Western countries need to partner with developing countries – where most of the exploited
children come
from – to develop a global strategy. It’s not an impossible goal. If our leaders put the child
pornography trade
on the table with other issues of general trade, or included it in their discussions on
security, we could make
significant inroads into halting this terrible exploitation of children.”
Foster also urges countries such as Australia to address the underlying causes of child
sexual exploitation.
“UNESCO has identified that street children, poor children, juveniles from broken
homes, and disabled
minors are especially vulnerable to sexual exploitation and to being seduced or coerced
into the production of
pornographic material.
CHILD WISE Tourism
Child sex tourism and child prostitution is a huge and growing problem across South East
Asia involving hundreds of thousands of children. Australians significantly contribute to this
problem, and it is conservatively estimated that more than two thousand Australians travel
overseas to sexually exploit children each year.
‘Child Wise Tourism’ is a Child Wise project developed to provide training and assistance
to the tourism industry and to tourism educators in destinations where child sex tourism
exists or is emerging.
In order to provide training and assistance, Child Wise has built networks and partnerships
with key stakeholders including government tourism authorities, private sector travel and
tourism business, academic institutions and local NGOs. Recognising that most travel and
tourism professionals never get training on child rights or child protection, ‘Child Wise
Tourism’ set about creating the bridges between the different stakeholders.
At the 1996 Stockholm World Congress, the international tourism industry represented by
organisations such as UFTAA (Universal Federation of Travel Agents Associations), IATA
(International Air Transport Association) and the WTO (World Tourism Organisation)
declared their support for the campaign to end child sex tourism and went on to develop
declarations and guidelines. These were an important start; however, little was
subsequently done by the travel and tourism industry at the local level to train staff and
produce locally relevant guidelines for action.
Melbourne, Australia - Two men appeared in an Australian court on Friday charged with
sex slavery offences related to an alleged transnational syndicate exploiting women from
Thailand, Korea and Hong Kong, court officials said. Kam Tin Ho, 35, of no fixed address,
was charged at Melbourne magistrates court with entering into a commercial transaction
involving a slave and conducting a business that involved the sexual servitude of other
people. Chee Fui Hoo, 38, a Malaysian living in the Melbourne suburb of North Fitzroy, was
charged with three counts of possessing a slave. Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers
arrested the two in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra on Thursday. AFP agent
Josephine Accetta said Ho and another suspect, Hoting Yeung, ran two Melbourne brothels
where foreign women were forced to work as prostitutes. Hoo helped by keeping three Thai
women locked in a house and driving them to and from the brothels, Accetta told the court.
The women were among a group of at least seven who told police they were slaves.
Behalf of the delegations of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Our three countries are committed to enhancing the promotion and protection of the rights
of children, and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is our guide. Our actions go
beyond those specifically targeted at children, to include mainstreaming their rights within
other activities, at the national, regional and international levels. We also endorse
incorporation of a gender perspective in all programmes and policies related to children.
We support the work of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and call on all States
Parties to cooperate with it. The work of the Committee is key to promoting more effective
implementation of the Convention and its Optional Protocols.
Our countries support efforts to strengthen monitoring, reporting and accountability for
violations of children’s rights in armed conflicts. We encourage close co-ordination with
existing initiatives, such as those related to the protection of civilians in armed conflict. We
recognize and support the work of UN agencies and NGO partners, including the Special
Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict and his office.
Their efforts remain essential to combatting violations of children's rights and ensuring
adherence to relevant international law. In this regard, we encourage those member states
that have not done so to ratify the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in
Armed Conflicts. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court contains crucial
provisions criminalizing serious acts against children and we call upon States to ratify this
instrument without delay.
The unimaginable suffering of children who continue to be the victims of sexual exploitation,
including children being trafficked, can only be effectively addressed by collective action on
the part of the world’s states. We welcome the entry into force of the UN Convention
Against Transnational Organized Crime, as well as the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress
and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children. As well, our countries
support the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of
Children, Child Pornography and Child Prostitution. Measures must be taken at all levels to
combat such crimes, starting with action to address the problem of demand.
Just as our countries are convinced of the importance of universal acceptance of
international instruments, we are also concerned about the erosion of international
understandings on the rights of children. In particular, while we acknowledge the valuable
part played by the family in protecting and nurturing children, we are concerned that some
member States wish to re-interpret these rights of children exclusively within this family
framework, setting up a dichotomy between the rights of children and those of parents. We
should not forget that, inside and outside the family, children are a vulnerable party and in
need of protection. This is why, in the words of the Convention on the Rights of the Child,
“the interests of the child are paramount.”
Australia’s eight states and territories have primary responsibility for criminal laws
and their enforcement resulting in jurisdictional variations in the definition of
offences and the setting of policing priorities.
The Australian High Tech Crime Centre (AHTCC) was established in July 2003 to
co-ordinate police responses to high-tech crime.
The centre’s purpose is to reduce the jurisdictional difficulties that hamper the fight
against electronic crimes that cross multiple borders.
Situated in Canberra, the AHTCC hosts specialist police investigators from the
national Australian Federal Police and each of the states and territories. Other
police agencies are also represented at the centre and the Australian Institute of
Criminology is represented by a high-tech crime research analyst.
In the first year of operation, the AHTCC established two key areas of operation.
These were online child exploitation and the protection of banking and financial
services.
In relation to the latter, the major Australian banks seconded staff to the AHTCC to
work directly with police and had considerable success in working together to
combat phishing and related criminal activity.
Online child exploitation
In March 2004, the AHTCC—as a national co-ordinating body for high-tech crime—
received a referral from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement for Operation
Falcon, an American investigation into the child pornography business conducted
by Regpay and Connections USA.
In the initial referral, more than 1,700 credit-card transactions appeared to relate to
Australians. The AHTCC carried out a preliminary investigation to find out who on
the list could be identified and located. In the end, 708 Australians were positively
identified as suspects. The distribution of suspects across Australia reflected the
population distribution among the states and territories; the most heavily populated
state of New South Wales had to deal with the largest number of suspects—261 in
total.
Police agreed that a national day of action was necessary to prevent offenders from
being tipped off and eliminating incriminating evidence. This was important
because the only available charges at the time were for possessing child
pornography rather than accessing child pornography. The credit-card transaction
records alone would not necessarily secure a conviction for accessing material if
such a charge was available. Police from the sexual crime units of each state and
territory came together for two planning meetings to agree to the terms of the
national day of action.
Operation Auxin was a success based on national co-operation.
Some jurisdictions anticipated possible reluctance from judicial officers to authorize
search warrants for the possession of child pornography accessed from the Internet
over many months—if not years—before, based on their previous experience with
warrants. Applications for search warrants needed to be carefully drafted. The high-
tech crime research analyst reviewed the criminological literature on Internet-based
child pornography offences. A focus was placed on the individual’s persistence in
offending, his collecting behaviour and any associations noted between those who
view child pornography and those who abuse children offline. This review then
formed part of a search warrant preamble that was used across Australia.
Co-ordinated effort
The aim of the national day of action was to execute search warrants against as
many of the suspects as possible, at the same time. This day of action against child
pornography was unprecedented in Australian policing and was anticipated to
attract intense media interest. In fact, there had been increasing media attention
given to child abuse issues across Australia. In 2003, Governor General Peter
Hollingworth, formerly the Anglican
Archbishop of Brisbane, resigned following criticism of the way in which
he had dealt with child sex abuse allegations against a priest.
It was left to individual police forces to decide whether the national day of action
would be handled only by the sexual crime units or whether other police officers
should be involved. Some police agencies took the view that the operation should
be very tightly controlled to prevent media leaks.
The geographical size of each jurisdiction challenged all of the police services in
making such a commitment. In the weeks leading up to the national day of action,
Queensland police, for example, received an exemption that allowed their sexual
crimes unit to execute search warrants in the more remote parts of the province. In
that case, the risk of publicity was minimized by not involving local police and by
delaying the court appearance of those charged and bailed until after the national
day of action.
Police also agreed to target suspects based primarily on their assessed risk of
involvement in offline sexual assaults. Information used in this assessment included
whether a suspect was previously charged with a sexual offence or was subject to
an intelligence report to that effect; whether a suspect was in a position of trust,
particularly where that involved access to children; and whether a suspect lived in a
household with children. If the suspect fell into any of these categories, they were
considered a higher risk to offend.
As it happened, executing hundreds of search warrants meant that the national day
of action became six days of action. On Sept. 30, 2004, the AHTCC issued a press
release announcing the details of Operation Auxin.
Police executed more than 400 search warrants and made more than 150 arrests
in the first weeks. More suspects were subsequently charged following computer
forensic examinations. The penalties across Australia at the time ranged from
maximum prison sentences of six months to two years, with one state providing a
five-year maximum prison sentence.
In the wake of Operation Auxin, sentencing provisions have been tightened across
Australia. New South Wales and the Northern Territory have also removed a local
requirement for child pornography material to be classified as such by the national
Office of Film and Literature Classification, as this complicated the charging
process and caused significant delays in processing cases.
In addition, the national government introduced new laws prohibiting the use of a
telecommunications service to access child pornography, with a maximum penalty
of 10 years imprisonment for offenders. A new national law was also introduced to
prohibit the online grooming of a child for sexual purposes.
With these national laws, the Australian Federal Police also established a unit
known as the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Taskforce (OCSET). The OCSET
has the primary responsibility for investigating breaches of the national law. One of
its officers is represented at the AHTCC.
Operation Auxin was a success based on national co-operation. While cases are
still being resolved, owing to delays in forensic examination, the number and range
of persons involved is considerable and community awareness of online child
exploitation issues has greatly increased.
Offenders came from diverse professions including police officers, military
personnel, lawyers, religious ministers, doctors, nurses and other professionals. It is
hoped that further study into the behaviour and motivations of the persons caught
and their connection, if any, with offline offending against children, can be used to
better deal with the problem of online child exploitation in the future.
Tony Krone has worked as a senior prosecutor and defender in criminal practice.
He is currently the high-tech crime research analyst in a research partnership
between the Australian Institute of Criminology and the Australian High Tech Crime
Centre.
Imagine if half of Australia’s entire population was forced into the sex industry?
It’s hard to imagine, yet around 10 million children – mainly girls – are subject to
forms of sexual exploitation worldwide. (1) That’s equivalent to half of Australia’s
entire population. A further one million children enter the commercial sex trade each
year. (2)
Sexual exploitation of children is one of the darkest abuses in our world. Some
children are directly involved in commercial sexual activity, while others are subject
to abuse while working as domestic servants or in other forms of labour.
It is devastating, but not inevitable. Strong measures are beginning to bring positive
outcomes for vulnerable children worldwide.
Child sex tourism
In many countries there is a large domestic market for commercial sexual
exploitation of children. In most areas the largest demand comes from locals.
Sadly there is also an international market for the sexual services of children, where
visitors from richer countries visit poorer countries to exploit children. (3) This is
known as child sex tourism.
More than 250,000 sex tourists visit Asia each year, with 25 percent coming from
the United States, 16 percent from Germany and 13 percent from both Australia
and the United Kingdom. (4)
Both girls and boys are exploited, though girls are more often victims. Most
offenders are men, although women can be involved.
Tourism doesn’t cause child sexual exploitation, but it does increase opportunities
for it to happen. It’s easy for tourists to dismiss sex with children as a ‘bit of fun’
while on vacation.
Often travellers feel they exist outside the rules of their own country as well as those
of the one that they’re visiting. But what they are doing is exploiting vulnerable
children.
Australian children facing exploitation: ACTU
Australia's peak union body wants to raise awareness of child labour conditions in
Australia, saying children as young as eight are being forced to work.
A recent survey has shown half of young people working in fast food outlets suffer
an injury or illness at the workplace, while children as young as eight are being
forced to work.
ACTU president Sharan Burrow says children are being exploited in Australia.
"We've got a situation... in terms of particularly migrant workers but people who are
forced into outwork environments that we've got children as young as eight
working," she said.
"They're at risk of both injury but more important of that, being robbed of their
childhoods."
The ACTU is using the World Day of Action Against Child Labour to urge the
Federal Government not to axe the National Occupational Health and Safety
Commission.
The Government plans to replace the commission with a new Safety and
Compensation Council.
Ms Burrow says the decision is crazy given the number of children at risk.
Law enforcement agencies from across three continents launched a new web-
based initiative today to deter and prevent individuals from exploiting children
online. The new website - www.virtualglobaltaskforce.com - is part of the Virtual
Global Taskforce international partnership between law enforcement agencies and
industry in Canada, the UK, Australia, the US and Interpol. This alliance delivers
crime prevention and crime reduction initiatives with the aim of making the Internet
a safer place for children.
The website will act as a gateway to information on how to use the Internet safely,
and will link to a range of support agencies that can advise and support victims of
this type of abuse. It will also facilitate the ability of Internet users to report online
sexual exploitation to appropriate law enforcement agencies in a number of
different countries. The objective is for the website to become a "one stop shop" for
all information about the protection of children online.
“This project, with international policing partners, represents the kind of partnerships
that the National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre is working on to establish
internationally in the ongoing effort to protect the children of Canada and of the
world,” says Inspector Jennifer Strachan, Officer in Charge of the Centre which is an
integral part of RCMP National Police Services. “This type of crime has no borders
and is far reaching. We are committed to increasing the level of cooperation the
Center has with the international law enforcement community, industry and
government organizations in order to address the issues related to online sexual
exploitation of children in a more integrated fashion.”
The Virtual Global Taskforce was created in 2003 as a direct response to lessons
learned from investigations into online child abuse around the world. It is an
international alliance of law enforcement agencies comprising the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police, the National Crime Squad for England and Wales, the Australian
High Tech Crime Centre, the US Department of Homeland Security and Interpol.
The mission of the Virtual Global Taskforce is:
Raymond Colin Smith, 41, admitted committing indecent acts at Olongapo City with
two six-year-old girls on October 5, 1999 while he was working for a charity as a
ship’s engineer on MV Island Mercy. Smith was tried in Newcastle District Court
under the child sex tourism provisions of the Commonwealth Crimes Act. Judge
Ralph Coolahan sentenced him to three years jail backdated to May 23. He
directed that at the end of a 21-month non-parole period Smith be released on a
three-year bond with supervisory conditions. He also sentenced Smith to a
concurrent 18 months jail term on each of the other two offences.
Later in Newcastle Local Court, Smith pleaded guilty to having in his possession on
September 11 four CD-ROMs that contained about 2,760 images of child
pornography which were seized when the police raided Smith’s home. Magistrate
Alan Railton sentenced him on this charge to a concurrent 18 months jail.
Smith was allowed to work for the charity despite being on parole for similar
offences. In May 1977 in the Brisbane District Court, Smith had received an 18-
month suspended sentence and was placed on three years’ probation for 24
charges of pornography and indecent dealing involving girls as young as four. A
psychiatric report submitted to the court at the time found Smith should not have any
further contact with children.
David Cowie, director at the time of the Mercy Ships youth ministry, said he made a
tortured decision. "Do I leave him here in the Philippines to face the death penalty
or do I get him into the legal system? Rightly or wrongly, I sent him home," Mr Cowie
told reporters.
CANBERRA, (Reuters) - Child prostitution is on the rise in Australia with an
estimated 4,000 children as young as 10 selling sex for money and drugs, a new
report says. The study by Child Wise, the Australian arm of the global End Child
Prostitution Pornography And Trafficking group, is based on anecdotal evidence
and estimated that one in five children on the Internet was solicited by strangers for
sex.
,,More young people are at risk of exploitation and greater numbers are falling
through the gaps, maybe homeless or on drugs, and engaging in sex for survival",
Child Wise national director Bernadette McMenamin told Reuters. ,,It is impossible
to accurately estimate the number of child prostitutes as it is a hidden area but
we've found about 4,000 and all the indications are that the problem is increasing."
McMenamin said the study was released in time for the Second World Congress
Against the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the Japanese city of
Yokohama from December 17 to 20. She said the first world congress on child sex
exploitation in Stockholm five years ago raised awareness of the problems and
prompted a lot of rhetoric but not enough action. Figures released by the Council of
Europe last month estimated one million children are sexually victimised worldwide
in a clandestine market encompassing human trafficking, sex tourism, child
prostitution and pornography.
The Australian report, 'The Child Sex Trade Exposed', said child pornography had
flourished on the Internet. The Australian Broadcasting Authority took action last
year against 144 Web sites with offensive child material and 48 with paedophile
activity. But it was not just child pornography traded on the Internet that was a
concern, but men building online friendships, often lying about their age, and then
arranging to meet young people for sex, a practice known as ‘chicken hawking'.
The report cited the example of a 41-year-old Melbourne man who was arrested in
April this year after flying to Brisbane to meet a 12-year-old girl he had met online. ,,
But despite this happening, Australia is one of the few OECD nations that does not
have a national law enforcement response to child pornography and child sexual
exploitation on the Internet", McMenamin said. McMenamin said the rise in the
numbers of child prostitutes in Australia was also worrying, with some girls brought
into Australia from overseas to join the industry.
One example was Jennifer who left home at 13 after her parents separated and her
mother started drinking. Jennifer turned to drugs and started selling sex to support
her habit. ,,We might not be able to stop child prostitution but we can reduce the
numbers entering prostitution by identifying who is at risk and providing better
support services", McMenamin said. McMenamin said more was needed to stop
child sex tourists.
Australia was one of the first nations - in 1994 - to develop laws to prosecute
citizens buying sex from children overseas with seven successful convictions since
and one case pending. But a police unit set up in 1995 to investigate Australians
engaging in child sex tourism was closed this year. ,,We're paying lip service to
child sex tourism, which is growing, and an explosion in child pornography on the
internet is not being dealt with. We're losing the battle", McMenamim said.
Melbourne, February 28, 2005
NetAlert today announced that it is to work closely with the newly formed Online
Child Sex Exploitation Team (OCSET), to develop a range of training programs for
parents and teachers.
The programs will enable parents and teachers to learn about the dangers children
face online, as well as educating them on effective measures to take to make their
Internet experience a safe one.
“The formation of the OCSET is an important milestone in Australia’s battle to keep
its children safe from sexual predators on the Internet. As well as working closely
with the OCSET’s crime prevention officers, to develop education programs,
NetAlert will also be referring relevant cases to the OCSET,” Karyn Hart, NetAlert’s
Chair, said today.
Kevin Zuccato, Director of the High-Tech Crime Centre and NetAlert Director, said,
“The best way for parents and teachers to protect children from sexual predators on
the Internet is to teach them about online safety practices. We are delighted to be
working with NetAlert on initiatives such as the National Roadshow. Through
programs like the National Roadshow, parents and teaches are able to learn about
the dangers faced by children online as well as strategies for confronting these
issues."
Both NetAlert and the OCSET were established by the Federal Government to
prevent the physical and psychological abuse of children by sexual predators online.
As well as working together the two organisations work with a range of partners,
both international and domestically.
To coincide with the launch of the OCSET, on March 1, NetAlert will be
broadcasting a series of community service announcements on television and
radio, and has revamped it children’s website www.nettysworld.com.au to provide
parents a valuable educational resource to teach younger children about Internet
safety.
For immediate help with Internet safety, contact the NetAlert help line and speak
with a trained operator toll free on 1800 880 176.
Email enquiries@netalert.net.au or find us online at www.netalert.net.au/help.
Advice, information kits, and links to other Internet safety resources can all be found
at www.netalert.net.au or through NetAlert’s toll-free helpline on 1800 880 176.
NetAlert is Australia’s Internet safety advisory body, it was established by the
Australian Government in late 1999, to provide independent advice and education
on managing access to and usage of the Internet. NetAlert works closely with a
variety of bodies, at both a national and international level, in order to promote the
safety of children on the Internet.
End child exploitation, says teen ambassador
By Sophie Opei
March 10, 2006FOR all of us children, particularly those of us living in rural
communities of Pakistan, India and Ghana (where I come from) I thought I was
dreaming.
For me, Sophia, a poor girl from a poor family in Ghana going to Australia this was
awesome and historic.Plan has made this dream a reality. Australia seemed so far
away. We have learnt about Melbourne and the Commonwealth Games through
information technology even before we got here. As a result, we the youth of today,
have more and better opportunities to develop our potential more fully.This trip,
sponsored by Plan International, is just the tip of the iceberg of Plan’s role in making
a difference in the lives of children in deprived communities. Plan also helps to
promote the rights of children by supporting our communities in projects to fulfill the
rights of children in the area of our education, health, water, sanitation and livelihood
opportunities for our well-being and development.We are here to participate in Plan
Australia’s Commonwealth Games Youth Media Program to develop a platform for
information exchange between Australia and developing countries in addition to
building relationships among the youth groups.
Children today who make up 70 per cent of the Commonwealth are not always
given the opportunity to realise our full potential due to the lack of basic necessities
such as food, education, access to basic health services and to participate
meaningfully in discussions and policy issues affecting us. It is our hope that this
program would help us address these childhood challenges.I wish to appeal to our
leaders and Governments to stop paying lip service to the plight of children and to
commit more resources that are in the best interest of the child especially in the
area of child exploitation, lack of education, lack of a national identity so that we can
have the opportunity to grow up in a more secure, healthy environment for the
survival, protection, development and effective participation of all children.Over 48
million children each year are not registered at birth and this has serious
implications on our lives. Without a birth certificate, which is our ticket to citizenship,
our national identity, we children become more vulnerable and prone to exploitation,
abuse, neglect and insecurity.I hope we take advantage of this unique opportunity to
share ideas, share experiences of best practices from our cultures and traditions,
thoughts, information, and to take action for ourselves back home as change agents
in our respective communities to make a difference in our lives.The future depends
on us, today’s children, who will become tomorrow’s adults and leaders. So we
would like to believe that the Commonwealth will continue to grow from strength to
strength with our rights fulfilled and our potential well developed through effective
and meaningful child participation such as this Youth Media Commonwealth Games
initiative of Plan.I would like to ask children, youth and adults to commit and
contribute to make the Youth Media Commonwealth Program memorable by being
a part of Plan, a family of people with shared dreams, hopes and a common goal
which is to create a common wealth for all children, especially those living in
deprived communities.On behalf of all children and Plan Australia I say "ayeeko"
and akwaaba". Welcome to the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne March 2006
and have a very nice and wonderful Youth Media experience.
New guidance to protect children using chatrooms and search engines will be
published today by the Home Office, which is also giving more details of a new
Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre to be set up from next year.
Internet service providers have helped develop the guides to create a safer online
environment for children when they use moderated chat services or search engines.
The guidance says that providers should:
offer users a way of reporting material that is illegal or potentially harmful to children
offer content filtering on search engines
manually review and approve websites included in search services aimed at
children
consider whether they need human or automatic moderation for chatrooms
ensure where necessary staff who come into contact with children have had relevant
Criminal Records Bureau checks Publication of the guides coincides with the
Protecting Children Online EU/Virtual Global Taskforce conference in Belfast,
aimed at getting businesses, law enforcers and experts in the EU and around the
world to work together to protect children.
The Virtual Global Taskforce was created in 2003 as a direct response to lessons
learned from investigations into on-line child abuse around the world. It is an
international alliance of law enforcement agencies working together to make the
Internet a safer place.
Investigators, industry figures and child protection specialists from over 20 different
countries will share their expertise on limiting access to child abuse images,
safeguarding children online and tracking down and protecting children identified in
abuse images.
Paul Goggins, Home Office Minister and Chair of the Government's Taskforce on
Child Protection on the Internet, said:
"Countries across the EU and around the world are committed to making the
internet safe for children and cracking down on paedophiles' use of the internet. I
want to make sure that by working across international boundaries and involving the
internet industry, we keep children safe from abuse in the UK and the rest of the
world.
"These guides will ensure safer online standards for our children. The internet is a
great tool for children with massive benefits for our society, but we know that
paedophiles will target children in any setting they can. Our message to them is
clear - there is no place for online abuse anywhere in the world, and our police are
one step ahead in the fight to protect children."
Peter Robbins of the Internet Watch Foundation praised the development of the
guidance. He said:
"Navigating the internet has never been more popular than today. This guidance is
an excellent example of significant industry members collaborating in a partnership
to protect children from any illegal and offensive content they might come across
through use of their services.
"The guidance is aimed at raising awareness amongst parents and carers of
children, and setting a benchmark for internet service providers to aspire to."
Mr Goggins also announced the appointment of National Crime Squad Deputy
Director Jim Gamble as Chief Executive of the UK's new Child Exploitation and
Online Protection Centre, which will be operational from April 2006.
The Centre will provide a single point of contact for the public, law enforcers, and
the communications industry to report targeting of children online, and will offer
advice and information to parents and potential victims of abuse 24 hours a day.
Based in London with up to 100 staff, it will also carry out proactive investigations
and work with police forces around the world to protect children.
Mr Goggins added:
"In the UK our law enforcement agencies are some of the best in the world at
policing online abuse. I am pleased to announce today that I am appointing Jim
Gamble as the Chief Executive of a new centre dedicated to protecting children
from abuse and exploitation. The centre's work will be absolutely vital in the
continuing fight against those who seek to abuse children."
Jim Gamble said:
"The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre will be a terrific opportunity for
us to tackle the root causes of child abuse, both online and elsewhere, rather than
just addressing the symptoms.
"I am delighted at my appointment to Chief Executive of the centre when it is
launched in April. This is a unique opportunity to build something which can truly
make a difference to every child everywhere and I look forward to working with our
partners across law enforcement, Government charity and industry to this end."
Some of the UK's best known communications businesses are already partners in
the Virtual Global Taskforce, including AOL, Microsoft, BT, Vodafone and Lycos.
The Football Association recently signed up to help protect young football fans
online.
An international police website set up to receive reports of online ‘grooming’ has
received over 250 reports in its first year.
www.virtualglobaltaskforce.com (VGT) allows children to report concerns over
suspicious activity online directly to a police officer. This could include, for example,
a conversation where a child is being groomed online for sex.
The child can simply ‘cut and paste’ a section of conversation which is then
transmitted to an officer in the Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT)
based at the National Crime Squad.
A number of investigations are ongoing as a result of reports received via VGT.
The VGT is a partnership of law enforcement agencies from around the world who
are working together to fight paedophiles who use the internet to abuse and exploit
children. This includes the downloading of abusive images of children. The VGT
website was launched in January 2005.
VGT was launched in January 2005 by an international partnership of law
enforcement agencies working together to fight paedophiles who use the internet to
abuse and exploit children. This includes the downloading of abusive images of
children.
Since then, 250 reports have been received, half of which relate to allegations of
grooming online. The remaining 50 per cent relate to inappropriate comments or
chat - for example, on message boards, in news groups or on websites - or
harrasment and bullying online.
Around 20% of reports come directly from children and young people around 30%
are from parents*.
Jim Gamble, Deputy Director of the National Crime Squad and Chairman of the
Virtual Global Taskforce said:
"Paedophiles who use the internet to abuse and exploit children should know that if
they attempt to groom a child online, they could end up with a police officer on their
doorstep.
The Virtual Global Taskforce has empowered children online. We want every child
in the UK to save www.virtualglobaltaskforce.com to their ‘favourites’ - then they ‘re
only one click away from a police officer.”
In addition to enabling children and adults to report concerns over suspicious
activity, the site also acts as a gateway to a range of information about online safety
and links to support agencies that can assist victims of abuse.
The online reporting facility currently operates in the UK and Australia but will be
rolled out in Canada and the USA over the coming months. The site has received
17 million hits in its first year and is accessible via 4,000 other websites worldwide.
Australian Initiative to Combat People Trafficking
I am pleased to launch officially the Asia Regional Cooperation to Prevent People
Trafficking project to help combat the trafficking of women and children in South
East Asia.
This initiative, funded by an Australian contribution of $8.5 million, is being delivered
through the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) in
cooperation with ASEAN and partner country governments.
Trafficking of women and children, including for sexual exploitation, both regionally
and globally, is of increasing concern. It has been identified by ASEAN as a priority
issue for regional cooperation.
Australia is working closely with ASEAN and partner country governments in the
region to develop cross-country prevention and prosecution mechanisms to deal
with people traffickers and develop practical measures to counter this illegal trade
more effectively.
The project began in April of this year and is now underway in Cambodia, Laos,
Burma and Thailand.
In Southeast Asia alone it is estimated that up to 225,000 women and children are
being trafficked annually for sexual and labour exploitation. Australia will continue to
work in partnership with countries, especially in the Asia Pacific region, to tackle
this ongoing problem.
This project is part of a much broader package of Australian development
assistance aimed at combating people smuggling, trafficking in women and related
trans-national crime in the Asia Pacific region worth approximately $24 million over
six years.
The Australian Government will continue to support regional efforts to counter trans-
national crime, and will provide funding for programs that combat people trafficking,
reduce poverty, and assist the most vulnerable communities in our region.
Mr Downer is in Cambodia for the annual ASEAN Regional Forum meeting.
Contacts:
Chris Kenny (Minister's office) 02 6277 7500 or 0419 206 890
Jo Elsom (AusAID) 02 6206 4960 or 0412 804 489
Hearing or seeing domestic violence traumatizes children psychologically and has
a devastating impact on their emotional and psychological well-being. Statistics
suggest that children who witness domestic violence are:
· 24 times more likely to commit sexual assault crimes
· 50% more likely to develop substance abuse problems
· 74% more likely to commit crimes against another person
· 6 times more likely to commit suicide.
Violence is a learned behavior. Statistics suggest that 90% of children who live in
violent homes witness acts of abuse. A study reported in Child Advocate
newsmagazine indicates that in families where domestic violence is present the
likelihood of child abuse and neglect is fifteen times greater than in the overall
population. Other studies conclude that half of all men who batter their wives also
are abusive to their children and that women victims of domestic violence also are
far more likely to abuse their children.
There is a generational pattern of family violence. Domestic violence literature
suggests that boyswho witness domestic abuse are five times more likely to abuse
their female partners than boys who grew up in non-violent homes. Another study
concluded that 75% of boys who witness domestic abuse struggle with behavioral
problems throughout their lives.
Many children who witness domestic violence suffer emotionally, physically and
developmentally. Some children are physically injured when trying to intervene to
protect the battered parent. It is not unusual for children who witness domestic
violence to experience guilt, shame, fear and low self-esteem. Other consequences
include nightmares; acting aggressively towards family, friends or property;
stomach problems; bed-wetting; insomnia; and verbal, cognitive or other
developmental delays.
Children who witness domestic abuse frequently develop unhealthy beliefs about
themselves, the world, and the nature of relationships. They may conclude that it is
typical for conflicts to be resolved with violence, and that it is appropriate for men to
assume the dominating role in a relationship.
Children’s reactions to domestic violence vary depending on age. Pre-school aged
children may suffer from panic, separation anxiety or nightmares -- and either
withdraw emotionally or act out inappropriately. Disruptions in routine can heighten
feelings of helplessness and be particularly painful for young children.
Consequently, both the battered spouse and the children may struggle with financial
difficulties and the stress of relocation when leaving an abusive relationship.
School-aged children may feel depressed, blame themselves for the violence or
grow distrustful of adults. It is common for school-aged children who witness
domestic violence to fluctuate between passive and aggressive behaviors,
including aggression towards others. They may complain of physical symptoms,
such as stomachaches, and become destructive to property.
Adolescents growing up in violent homes may feel shame and guilt, or act out in
anger or with violence. They feel a sense of hopelessness and a growing distrust of
adults. School performance may decline, and the risk of substance abuse and
sexual behavior increases. Teenagers who witness domestic violence frequently
draw unhealthy conclusions about the co-existence of love and violence.
Custody decisions in domestic violence cases present challenging and dangerous
situations. Violence is more likely to occur in abusive relationships when the victim
seeks to end the relationship, sometimes by filing for divorce or custody.
The reason for this increased likelihood of violence is because domestic abuse is
about control. Men who abuse women may use custody proceedings as a playing
card and see gaining custody of the children as another method of continuing to
control the family unit even after separation. In some cases, the abusive parent may
abduct the children. Once a victim has taken steps to establish independence the
perpetrator of domestic violence may begin to feel that his authority is threatened,
and may attempt to use the children as a scare tactic to control the victim or
manipulate her into submission.
Visitation between children and a domestic violence perpetrator must be carefully
considered. By demonstrating abusive behavior, the perpetrator has shown
inappropriate parenting and a lack of consideration for the emotional well being of
the children.
Some judges, caseworkers and attorneys believe that unless the father has abused
the children, his abuse of his wife is not relevant to evaluating his capability to be a
good father. Focusing on whether the children have been abused ignores the fact
that spousal abuse has a dramatic and detrimental impact on the emotional and
physical health of children. Children may identify with the “victor” in the violent
altercations they witness. Children as young as six or seven begin to model the
behavior of the aggressor and see violence as the acceptable method of producing
desired results. A child may try to manipulate the victim by saying something like:
“Give me what I want or I will tell Dad to hit you.” Witnessing repeated acts of
violence may cause children to lose respect for the victim instead of sympathizing
with them. Sadly, many of these child-witnesses later either will repeat the behaviors
they witness or accept violence in their own adult relationships because they never
learned other ways to relate or resolve conflict.
It is important to limit the children’s exposure to parental conflict and to be aware
that the greatest risk of violence is during visitation exchanges. There have been
several cases where a father has murdered his spouse and/or children while
picking up the children for visits. The potential for continued violence must be taken
into account when courts determine what custody and visitation arrangements are in
each child’s best interests.
Many professionals believe that the most effective stand a victim can take is to
separate themselves and their children from the perpetrator. Unfortunately, without
strong community support systems, the abuse often worsens upon separation. One
study found that 75% of calls to the police requesting intervention in domestic
violence disputes were made after separation. The abuse often escalates as the
perpetrator becomes desperate to
retain control. Many women who have stayed with their perpetrator report that they
only stayed after their children were threatened.
Unfortunately the victims of domestic violence are often criticized for remaining in
the house with the perpetrator. Many people are under the assumption that a
separation would end the violence, and may accuse victims who stay of not
protecting their children. The literature regarding victims of domestic violence
indicates that many victims decide not to leave their abusers due to:
· Financial considerations (Victim does not have the means to be on their own).
· Lack of a support system (Victim feels they have no where else to go.)
· Abuser threatens to kill the victim or the children of the victim
· Victim believes that the situation will change
· Victim believes in the traditional values of marriage, and that divorce is not an
option.
· Victim believes, after repeated abuse and consequent low self-esteem, that
they deserve the violence and have no other alternatives.
It is important that the courts and the community take an active role in protecting
children from domestic violence. Rarely is the emotional impact on children
addressed. Without a support system, it is difficult for victims to protect themselves
and their children. Professionals should be ready to strategize and follow-through
with carefully planned interventions.
One approach and resource that has helped in several communities is the idea of
supervised visitation centers—a facility where parents can safely exchange children
and where supervised visitation is available if needed. That type of arrangement
supports a continuing and safer relationship between the father and child without
endangering the mother and children.
Although children may not be the physical victims of domestic abuse, they will carry
the images, sounds and emotional scars of domestic violence throughout their
lives. It is important to take steps to break the generational cycle of domestic
violence by helping children to understand that there are other ways that adults in
relationships interact and resolve conflict.
Rise in Number of Street Children Follows Global Economic Slump
The growing global economic crisis increased the number of children who live on
urban streets, straining the coping mechanisms of societies from Romania to
Rwanda to Guatemala. The problem-once mainly a result of migration from rural to
urban areas-is compounded by internal armed conflict and sudden economic
collapse around the globe. In Madagascar's capital, Antananarivo, more than 6,000
children who live and sleep on the street receive no public services and face
frequent police harassment. In the Philippine capital of Manila, repression of the
estimated 75,000 street children is on the rise. Many of the children have families
but poverty compels them to beg for money on city streets, where they often face
arrest. For Manila's 5,000 to 7,000 "full-time" street children with no family, neither
prison nor public rehabilitation centers offer care for the serious trauma, such as
sexual abuse, that many have suffered.
The sobering factsOnline child pornography is a global problem. With the advent of
the personal computer and the Internet, individuals can easily transmit child
pornography in seconds to all corners of the world. Here are some facts about child
pornography and the Internet:
An estimated 100,000 Web sites are involved in some way with child pornography.
International Internet trafficking of child pornography is proliferating at an alarming
rate. Since January 2000, the U.S. Customs CyberSmuggling Center in Fairfax,
Va., has reviewed more than 10,000 tips.
Internet related child exploitation is relatively new. Unfortunately, it has been the
driving force behind the resurgence of child pornography.
Pedophiles often use the very latest computer encryption software to encrypt their
photographs or put them in a code that can only be read with special software.
Child pornography images can be downloaded onto a computer and sent over the
Internet to anywhere in the world
Child Prostitution in New Zealand
As with every other area of commercial sexual exploitation of children, estimating
the true nature and extent of child prostitution in New Zealand is very difficult due to
the clandestine nature of the activity. However, research and anecdotal evidence
suggest that child prostitution is a growing problem in New Zealand. ECPAT NZ
has recently completed the first stage of a three-stage research project on the
extent of CSEC in New Zealand. Initial findings revealed that child prostitution is
reported throughout New Zealand, in rural districts and towns as well as cities.
The underlying reasons for young people becoming involved in sex work are
complicated and multi-layered. Increased awareness and research overseas has
indicated that the majority of children do not enter into prostitution willingly and that
their participation is indicative of compulsion or desperation rather than choice.
Children drawn into prostitution do not come from one particular background. Some
may still be living with parents or caregivers, others may be living away from home
in residential care, while others may have run away and be homeless. There is not a
single pattern; children may enter prostitution through a number of pathways
including homelessness, family breakdown, pressure from friends already involved
in prostitution, sexual abuse, poverty, drug/ alcohol misuse, educational
underachievement or unemployment. Frequent school absences or absence for an
extended period, either through truancy or suspension, may also make children
especially vulnerable. The government has recognised the need to keep young
people in the education system by increased funding to expand alternative
education places for those who are too disruptive or alienated to remain in regular
classes.
A 38-year-old Australian university student accused of being part of an international
online child pornography ring had more than 80,000 images on his computer, police
said today.
Three other Australians have also been arrested during an international operation
by police who allege the ring traded in pornography featuring children as young as
18 months, and images including streamed videos of live molestations.
A total of 29 people have been arrested in Australia, the United States, Canada
and Great Britain, the Australian Federal Police said today.
The man from the inner western suburb Brisbane suburb of Ashgrove appeared in
the Brisbane Magistrates' Court on March 7, charged with the possession and
distribution of child exploitation material, police said.
He was remanded in custody to appear in court again on April 24.
If convicted, he could face a maximum of 10 years in prison.
Queensland Police did not release details of his involvement in the ring until today
for fear of alerting at least 28 other men from five countries also allegedly involved in
the ring.
A 30-year-old man from Bennett's Green, near Newcastle, has been granted bail
and is due to appear in Belmont local court on April 27.
A 22-year-old man from the northern Brisbane suburb of Stafford is expected to
appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on April 7 and a 56-year-old man from
Mill Park in Victoria has been summonsed to appear in court at a later date.
They have been charged with using a carriage service for child pornography
material and possession of child pornography material.
Police said they believe they have caught all the Australians involved.
"This is a group of dedicated paedophiles around the world who are using this
secure chat room to trade large volumes of child pornography," said Queensland
Police Service Child Safety Director Detective Superintendent Ross Barnett.
"We are told by authorities in the US that also involved live video streaming of
children being abused in real time for the benefit of members of the group."
Supt Barnett said the Ashgrove student allegedly had 17 gigabytes of pornographic
child images on his computer, which amounted to more than 80,000 images, he
said.
The ring was smashed after detectives in the United States and Canada infiltrated
an internet chatroom which was hosted in the US.
Investigations were still underway and it was not yet known if any of the abuse
occurred in Australia or how many other child internet porn rings were believed to
be still in operation.
"This is just one of the many paedophile rings that exist around the world," Supt
Barnett said.
The investigation has so far identified seven child victims, some as young as 18
months, including an infant whose molestation in April by a US man was transmitted
live via an internet chat room to a co-conspirator who used the screen name
"BigtDaddy619".
Four of those charged allegedly molested the children, making the resulting images
available in the chat room called "Kiddypics & Kiddyvids'' that facilitated trading of
thousands of images and videos, US authorities said yesterday.
A number of their young residents come from Sydney for drug rehabilitation
services and have often experienced periods of homelessnes. There are however,
limited specific specialist services for children and young people who are the
victims of sexual exploitation, trafficking or internet abuse in the area. Within
Australia ECPAT, UNICEF and Child Wise campaign against these abuses, and
there are a number of projects who provide support for victims, such as rape crisis
centres however, this is often in addition to their main area of work.
I was informed by both the Ted Noff’s project and The Jetty Bunker project in Coff's
Harbour that over the past few years there has been an increase in young people's
abuse through sexually exploitative relationships and that those children in
residential care, or who are homeless are most vulnerable to this form of abuse.
The legalization of Adult prostitution in Australia continues to recieve a mixed
response from a number of agencies who have concerns that there is a hidden side
to the abuse of women and children. In Queensland a pressure group of over 500
members are opposed to legal brothels on the grounds that these are not
adequately checked by Police or the Local authorities and that there are concerns
that the abuse of children and women go undetected. A Former Australian Labor
Party Official was recently sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty
on child prostitution charges in Nov 2004. Neville Francis Hilton was found guilty of
19 charges including obtaining a benefit from child prostitution. Two young girls
aged 13 and 14 year old were found ‘working’ at a brothel part owned by Mr. Hilton
in August last year, he has since been sacked from his position in the Australian
Labor Party. The concern here for many is the fact that as a Labor official and a
public figure, he abused his position not only as the co-owner of a brothel but a
brothel that exploited and abused children.
Fishing For The Pieces
First of all I want to thank all the people that have read my journal and sent me e-
mails, I never thought that I would get such positive feedback from so many people,
it has been a pretty amazing experience for me to read some of the e-mails that
people from all over the world have sent me and I just wanted to take the time to say
thank you everyone for all the support and encouragement, it means a lot to me.
Since it has been quite some time now since my last update, and I know some
people may have been thinking I have dropped of radar never to be seen again
(which is not true), I have achieved some of my goals and am still trying to work out
others.
The biggest achievement is that I'm still here, still trying and still willing to push
myself in changing my life. It has now been close to a year and I still think I am doing
the right thing, I don't have any doubts that I have made the correct decision, I have
had my ups and downs, some days have been a lesson in patience but I am getting
better at dealing with my new environment and the difficulties I face each day aren't
as hard or as stressful as they once were.
The other significant achievement in my life is that I have made a few friends so I no
longer feel as isolated as I once did. Having friends who are not from the street has
given me a lot of perspective and I have come to value the time I spend with them
almost as much as the time I spend with my street friends.
Over the course of the last couple of months I stressed a little bit about the amount
of forward progress I have made in the time since I last made an entry to my journal,
and then I thought it isn't important how much I achieve but how hard I try.
Some of the things I have been trying to attain have been quite a bit different in the
doing then in the thinking and I know I am still not ready to try others, so I have been
slowly changing the way I have been doing things.
I am learning that asking questions and talking with people about their methods is a
very helpful way of learning about the differences that separate me and my old life
and me and my new life that I am building.
I have realized that I can do a lot more then I ever thought possible and there is no
time limit, this is not a project or an exam that can be finished in one or two days,
but an ongoing process that will probably never end.
Timing has become the biggest contributing factor in all my life altering decisions,
am I ready, does it need to be done right now or can it wait, how important is
success or failure, these are the things I place the most importance on now, not
what I am doing.
I feel that considering the amount of time I spent on the street what possible
difference is a couple of months going to make in the grand scheme of my life and
where I want to be say in five years time.
I spent a lot of time learning what is in my life that needs changing and how
important it is that I change these things and why, and then even longer thinking
about what these changes will mean to me and how they will effect my day to day
thinking.
There is just so much that I want to change that I know I could never do it all in a year
or even five so I am in no rush, in fact this last six months has probably been better
then any other six month period in my life.
Just the small things I have found have been the biggest reward to come out of
changing my life, not having to worry where my next meal is coming from and having
clean clothes every day without any of the hassles involved of my old life, doing
things like taking the dog for a walk to get the morning paper and some fresh bread
for breakfast are the highlights of my week now.
I still feel a strong attachment to the street and all my family there and I still see them
as often as I can, but being able to come home at the end of the day is kind of a
relief, I'm not saying that there aren't times when I wish I wasn't back there but they
are fairly rare nowadays and the urge is nowhere near as strong as it once was.
All I have done up to this point and the happiness I get out of each day is enough to
take away even the strongest urges these days and this in itself is a big
achievement for me, it means I made true progress and if I have come this far in
only one short year imagine where I will be next year.
Once again thank you all for the e-mails and the words of support, keep checking in
from time to time and share in my journey towards a better life.
This study provides further support for the findings of previous studies regarding the
factors which lead to homelessness among young people. Homelessness most
clearly arises from a lack of access to affordable safe accommodation. This said,
the experiences of young people where early home leaving occurs are typified
either by a long-term proscess where the young person feels a lack of emotional
support, often associated with abuse, domestic violence, negative school
experience, rejection accompanying repartnering of a parent, or as a result of one
or more specific events which involve grief or loss, or a combination of any or all of
the above. The view that the provision of income support for homeless young
people provides an inducement for early home leaving is not borne out in this
research.
While a number of current Commonwealth and State/Territory policies acknowledge
the importance of prevention and/or early intervention, few programs and services
are specifically directed to these purposes. Outside of the Attorney-General's
adolescent mediation and family therapy programs, some Supported
Accommodation Assistance Program services, a small number of alternative care
services, and a small number of school focused services, there are few recurrently
funded services to young people and their families exist.
The study found that young people see their relations with parents, or other parent
figures as central to their capacity to remain at home. Young people indicated they
principally left home because of conflict with parents, various forms of abuse,
because they were kicked out, and/or because of drug and alcohol related issues.
Themes of a lack of felt emotional support, a culture of blame, and unresolved grief
and loss pervade the accounts of these young people. Young people suggested
that well in advance of home leaving occurring, there needs to be improved parental
and adult attitudes and behaviours to them, greater understanding of the impact of
new parental partners on them, a halt to abuse, and early access to third party
facilitation of communication. Young people indicated that when home leaving first
occurs they needed a clear idea of where to get help, recognition that it was a very
stressful time for them, short and long-term accommodation options, culturally
sensitive services and immediate response to their calls for assistance.
The dominant view of young people was that they should be respected and listened
to more, and specifically that parental attitudes and behaviour should alter. Overall
they see communication based strategies as the ones most frequently needed,
though they indicate such services can be unhelpful and even destructive if they do
not recognise the young person as a person in his or her own right, with views,
feelings, and important information. Counselling and many other helping strategies,
often appear to young people as biased or unempathetic. When young people find
others acting and speaking in a way which presumes they are themselves the
problem, they quickly dismiss such assistance as useless.
Parents' accounts of their experience of early homeleaving which results in
homelessness leave in no doubt the distress, anger, defensiveness and
embarrassment that they often feel. Parents generally identify their children as the
'problem', while at the same time indicating significant levels of difficulty, instability,
stress, and problematic behaviour within the family, and specifically, in relation to
one or more parent/s or adults.
Parents report great difficulty in gaining adequate responses from service providers
at critical times, prior to and after home leaving. Parents report the same range of
issues as causing early home leaving as do young people with the exception that
parents do not include the feelings and perspectives of their children as issues. It is
significant that although there is a degree of similarity in parents' and young
people's definitions of home (where people feel loved, safe, supported) parents do
not, as young people do, include in their definitions specific behaviours which
indicate how such feelings are developed and maintained (through listening, getting
problems sorted out, talking to each other). This, together with a tendency to blame,
and exclude from discussion their own role in the process of early home leaving,
supports the view that parents have a substantial'blind spot' about the antecedents
of early home leaving.
The implications for parent support and education strategies include the need to
examine the notion of home from a child's perspective, for parents to develop the
capacity to self-reflect on the behaviours that are consistent with their own notions of
home, and to develop skills in discussing these matters with children. Parents
indicated that in order to prevent homelessness among young people, most needed
were whole of family counselling or family mediation, time out accommodation, and
changed school practices.
The national survey of service providers indicated the most detailed and clearly
thought out early intervention services were being provided by young people-family
mediation programs, whole of school approaches (as opposed to add on, targeted
at risk strategies) and SAAP services which have a significant focus on young
people 12 to 15 years of age. Seventy-five per cent of services indicated there was
a need for greater collaboration between community based service providers and
schools. Constraints to the undertaking of early intervention or prevention work were
cited as the limitations of program funding parameters, inadequate resources, and
institutional practices which mitigate against undertaking this work.
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Most people have no idea how large the problem truly is.
