Child sexual exploitation is a heinous crime that extends across borders and adversely impacts victims and communities. It is a form of child abuse where offenders and facilitators use their power, either physical, financial or emotional, over a child or young person to sexually or emotionally abuse them. Child sexual exploitation for financial gain involves a child being coerced or manipulated into engaging in forced sexual activity for financial benefit.
This guide provides indicators and behaviours to help financial service providers review their profiling and transaction monitoring programs to identify and stop payments for child sexual exploitation material and report suspicious activity to AUSTRAC. Payments for child sexual exploitation can be difficult to detect because offenders take considered steps to hide their crimes from friends, family, financial institutions and law enforcement. No single financial indicator will reveal if an account is being used for child sexual exploitation purposes.
It is crucial for law enforcement agencies, government agencies and financial institutions to work in partnership to disrupt payments for child sexual exploitation material and stop the abuse of victims.
Download the Financial crime guide – Combating the sexual exploitation of children for financial gain (PDF, 3.47MB)
This guidance sets out how we interpret the Act, along with associated Rules and regulations. Australian courts are ultimately responsible for interpreting these laws and determining if any provisions of these laws are contravened.
The examples and scenarios in this guidance are meant to help explain our interpretation of these laws. They’re not exhaustive or meant to cover every possible scenario.
This guidance provides general information and isn't a substitute for legal advice. This guidance avoids legal language wherever possible and it might include generalisations about the application of the law. Some provisions of the law referred to have exceptions or important qualifications. In most cases your particular circumstances must be taken into account when determining how the law applies to you.