University Of New South Wales: Global Partnership Formed To Combat Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Children

UNSW’s Professor Michael Salter will lead a new partnership with Edinburgh’s Childlight Global Child Safety Institute. Professor Michael Salter at UNSW’s School of Social Sciences, who is an expert on child sexual exploitation and gendered violence, will lead the partnership with members of the Childlight Global Child Safety Institute based at the University of Edinburgh.

With the creation of a new East Asia & Pacific hub based at UNSW, together they will produce data and insights to better inform policy responses to a “hidden pandemic” that affects millions of children.

Since the institute’s launch in 2023, Childlight’s team has been making inroads into one of the world’s most challenging modern problems, which has grown since the COVID-19 pandemic. Offences range from predators tricking and blackmailing young people over personal images through to the abuse of AI technology to generate deepfake images of children.

Professor Salter, inaugural director of the new hub, recently revealed insights into the nature and extent of online abuse and exploitation in Australia. He will soon release further findings as part of a report disclosing the worldwide scale of the problem for the first time.

His work will have reach across Asia-Pacific countries, complementing the work of pioneers in the field like Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, as well as playing a crucial role in the wider global efforts of Childlight.

The sexual abuse and exploitation of children is a hidden pandemic happening on a staggering scale.

In a joint statement University of Edinburgh Principal Sir Peter Mathieson and Provost Professor Kim Graham said: “We are delighted to see Childlight and the University of Edinburgh and UNSW bringing together some of the world’s best minds to forge this global partnership and address one of the world’s major challenges. “Although only recently celebrating its first birthday, Childlight is already leading in research and data governance in the field of child sexual exploitation and abuse, and we are confident that this collaboration will help inform decision-makers and practitioners on how best to safeguard children globally.”

Professor Salter emphasised the opportunity for strategic and impactful research into child sexual abuse in Australia and across the Asia-Pacific region.

As well as producing new data and insights on child sexual exploitation and abuse, Childlight has provided technical advice and support to help law enforcement bodies around the world to identify and arrest perpetrators and safeguard children.