WASHINGTON - On December 10 - December 11, 2024, Australia's eSafety Commissioner and Department of Homeland Security under the Australia - United States Joint Council on Combating Online Child Sexual Exploitation hosted over 20 technology, non-governmental, academic, and civil society sector organizations for a two-day workshop aimed at establishing new areas of collaboration to combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA).
Held in person at the Homeland Security Investigations Lab in Washington, D.C., the workshop included presentations by industry leaders, roundtable discussions, and breakout groups.
The Joint Council will build on the outputs of this workshop and continue to work with industry to develop a Safety by Design toolkit to ensure that child safety is prioritized at every stage in the development of online products and services, including in new and emerging artificial intelligence technologies. The toolkit is expected to collate best practices and share innovative approaches for companies to tackle online CSEA, while also exploring the challenges and limitations of adopting Safety by Design principles. It is scheduled for publication in mid-2025.
This latest Joint Council engagement builds on work led by DHS and the Australian Government to eradicate online CSEA and enhance international cooperation, technological innovation, and public education as these crimes increasingly threaten the safety of children globally. Chaired by U.S Department of Homeland Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas and Australian Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus KC MP, the Joint Council brings together U.S. and Australian policy, regulatory, and law enforcement agencies to share best practices and enlist other nations in this critical fight to ensure the safety and well-being of children all over the world.
Quote attributable to DHS Acting Policy Under Secretary Robert Paschall:
"The scourge of child exploitation covers the world: from India to Pakistan, the Philippines to Australia and Europe to here at home in the United States," said DHS Acting Under Secretary for Policy, Strategy, and Plans Robert Paschall. "This crime is an affront to our most fundamental values. Combatting it in partnership with our allies in government, the private sector and civil society is integral to the DHS mission.
"As new and emerging technologies like generative artificial intelligence further highlight the risk of harm to youth, the Joint Council remains steadfast in combatting all forms of child exploitation and abuse. My colleagues and I at DHS were proud to co-lead this workshop. By providing actionable strategies to minimize threats and harms throughout the design, development and deployment of new technologies, the Safety by Design Toolkit will further strengthen the safety and well-being of children around the world. This latest Joint Council collaboration builds on several efforts led by the Australian Government and the Department of Homeland Security over the past year, including the Know2Protect public awareness campaign in the United States and One Talk at a Time in Australia."
Quote attributable to eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant:
"We've reached a tipping point in online safety, particularly in protecting children from online harms," said eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant. "Safety by Design is no longer just a boardroom concept - it needs to be a regular part of the conversation in parliaments and classrooms.
"That is why we were so pleased to co-lead this workshop with the United States Department of Homeland Security, demonstrating that companies, governments, and regulators can work together to build safer technology platforms, especially on this most critical of issues: protecting children from online sexual exploitation and abuse.
"In Australia, ongoing reforms to the Online Safety Act, including the recent move to legislate minimum age requirements for certain social media platforms, are helping to establish a framework that compels industry to meet higher safety standards, including placing the best interests of children at the heart of the development process.
"Through these efforts, by harnessing the collective goodwill of the US and Australian governments alongside the global technology sector, and incorporating safety protections from the outset, we can better safeguard users and combat child sexual exploitation and abuse."
Background
On May 20, 2023, President Biden and Prime Minister Albanese issued a joint leaders' statement to renew the long-standing partnership between Australia and the United States. The Statement recognized the need to enhance our joint response to a range of challenges, including the growing rate and severity of online child sexual exploitation and abuse. Both countries decided to establish the Australia-United States Joint Council on Combatting Online Child Sexual Exploitation (Joint Council).
The Council has developed a joint, multidisciplinary workplan across six workstreams, including Safety by Design. Safety by design was pioneered in Australia by the eSafety Commissioner and continues to gain momentum across the United States, and the world.
How to Report Suspected Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse
