01 November 2024, 1:55pm
Media Release
Indian national charged in WA with online child abuse offences
This is a joint release between the Australian Federal Police and Western Australia Police Force
An Indian national is expected to appear in Perth Magistrates Court today (1 November, 2024) charged with accessing and transmitting child abuse material online.
The Western Australia Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (WA JACET) allegedly identified the man during an investigation into a report from the United States’ National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about a user uploading child abuse material online.
A search warrant was executed at the man’s Thornlie home on 24 October, 2024, where investigators allegedly found child abuse material on electronic devices. The devices are subject to further forensic examination.
The man, 20, was charged with three offences:
- One count of using a carriage service to access child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(i) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth); and
- Two counts of using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22(1)(a)(iii) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).
The maximum penalty for each of these offences is 15 years' imprisonment.
AFP Detective Sergeant Heath Cockram said the AFP worked tirelessly with partners locally and around the world to protect children and bring to justice anyone involved in their harm.
“Accessing or sharing child abuse material is not a victimless crime, it contributes to the demand for the physical exploitation and abuse of children,” Det-Sgt Cockram said.
The WA JACET comprises AFP and Western Australia Police Force officers.
The AFP and its partners are committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) is driving a collaborative national approach to combatting child abuse.
The ACCCE brings together specialist expertise and skills in a central hub, supporting investigations into online child sexual exploitation and developing prevention strategies focused on creating a safer online environment.
Members of the public who have information about people involved in child abuse are urged to contact the ACCCE. If you know abuse is happening right now or a child is at risk, call police immediately on 000.
If you or someone you know is impacted by child sexual abuse and online exploitation, support services are available.
Research conducted by the ACCCE in 2020 revealed only about half of parents talked to their children about online safety. Advice and support for parents and carers about how they can help protect children online can be found at the ThinkUKnow website, an AFP-led education program designed to prevent online child sexual exploitation.
For more information on the role of the ACCCE, what is online child sexual exploitation and how to report it visit the ACCCE website.
Note to media
Use of term 'CHILD ABUSE' MATERIAL not ‘CHILD PORNOGRAPHY’
The correct legal term is Child Abuse Material – the move to this wording was among amendments to Commonwealth legislation in 2019 to more accurately reflect the gravity of the crimes and the harm inflicted on victims.
Use of the phrase ‘child pornography’ is inaccurate and benefits child sex abusers because it:
- indicates legitimacy and compliance on the part of the victim and therefore legality on the part of the abuser; and
- conjures images of children posing in 'provocative' positions, rather than suffering horrific abuse.
Every photograph or video captures an actual situation where a child has been abused.
