Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation

The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) was announced by the Australian Government on 25 March 2018, as a measure of the 2018-19 Commonwealth Budget.

The AFP-led ACCCE brings together a world-leading approach, incorporating key stakeholders and partners, and driving a collaborative effort to counter the epidemic of child exploitation. It provides an integrated and collaborative capability to ensure cohesion by using the expertise of federal, state and territory, non-government organisations and private industry. It also facilitates a cross-pollination of resources, knowledge and skillsets between stakeholders.

The focus of the ACCCE is on countering online child sexual exploitation, including organised exploitation networks operating in the online environment.

Vision and Mission

Vision: Children are free from exploitation.
Mission: To drive a collaborative national response to counter the exploitation of children.

Activities

The Centre is built on four pillars to prevent, prepare, pursue and protect children and vulnerable young people against exploitation through a foundation of partnership.

The primary functions of the ACCCE include:

Triaging reports of online child sexual exploitation
Identifying trends and information sharing
Specialist capabilities to identify victims and locate offenders
Prevention and awareness to educate the community and intervention to deter potential offenders.

Alongside significant operational achievements, the ACCCE has launched many public initiatives to raise awareness and encourage discussion on child sexual abuse within the Australian community and assist operational teams with their investigations. Some of these initiatives include:

Partnerships

The ACCCE collaborates with partners to deliver on its four pillars and its mission. ACCCE partners include, but are not limited to, government and Commonwealth agencies, law enforcement and investigative authorities, non-government organisations, the private sector, and academia.