UN expert lauds progress, urges Australia to bridge disparities to protect children from sale, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse

GENEVA (10 November 2023) – Commending Australia’s efforts to combat the sale, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children, a UN expert today urged the Government to bridge remaining gaps.

In a statement delivered at the end of a 12-day visit to the country, Mama Fatima Singhateh, UN Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children lauded Australia’s National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021-2030, National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, institutional structures such as National Office for Child Safety and the Children’s Commissioners and Guardians, and reforms already made in child protective legislation and implementation measures across the States and Territories.

Singhateh urged the Government and other stakeholders to accelerate efforts to combat sexual abuse of children within circles of trust, trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, online exploitation and abuse, and other manifestations – including forced child marriage – under the country’s modern slavery law.

“I am encouraged by good practices such as Australian Federal Police led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation which promotes domestic and international collaboration to counter child sexual abuse using the expertise of federal, state and territory, non-government agencies and private industry. Also noteworthy are innovative efforts by child service delivery sectors that take integrated approaches of co-design out-of-home care facilities informed by lived experiences,” Singhateh said.

“Australia must, however, undertake systemic reforms to address the root causes of vulnerabilities impacting children of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and families, who are disproportionately over-represented in out-of-home care and detention facilities,” she said. “The heightened risks of exploitation and abuse must be curbed and their safe transitioning to adulthood must be ensured through better access to education, access to livelihood skills, empowerment, justice and services that reach the remote regions of the country,” the expert said.

She urged authorities to take comprehensive and stronger preventive, protective and rehabilitative measures against the sale and sexual exploitation to safeguard children in detention, migrant, refugee, asylum-seeking and minority children, and children with disabilities. Singhateh said it was important to develop robust, evidence-based frameworks with greater investments in data collection systems, more awareness raising activities, education and capacity building that is child-centred, trauma-informed, age and gender-sensitive to mitigate the risks upon children.

The UN expert met with government representatives from the Commonwealth and states and territories, non-government and civil society and community organisations, academia, child protection service providers, and UN agencies. She travelled to Canberra, Sydney, Alice Springs, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne during her visit.

Singhateh will present a comprehensive report of her findings and recommendations to the Human Rights Council in March 2025.