The AFP is warning parents and guardians amid a rise on online sadistic sextortion. Picture: Stock
The rise of online sadistic sextortion has prompted an Australian Federal Police (AFP) warning to parents and guardians.
According to the AFP, sadistic sextortion is a rising crime that involves extreme online groups targeting children as young as 12 years on social media and messaging platforms to make them self-produce explicit material in order to join extreme online communities.
AFP Commander of Human Exploitation and the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) Helen Schneider says their intelligence suggests most offenders in extreme online groups were not motivated by money but on status or notoriety.
“Unfortunately, some victims in these groups, do not see themselves as victims,” Commander Schneider says.
“They do not believe they are being coerced into performing these extremely horrific acts and therefore are unlikely to report it to the authorities.
“Without information or assistance from victims and members of the public, it can be extremely difficult for police to identify offenders and shut down these dangerous groups,” she says.
Commander Schneider says the AFP wants parents and guardians to watch for warning signs.
‘If parents believe their child is engaging in harmful activity online, it’s important to have a conversation with them to understand the situation and provide appropriate support,” Commander Schneider says.
“Warning signs children may be engaging in harmful activity online may include increased screen-time on computers or phones, isolating themselves from friends and family or being secretive about who they are interacting with online.
“Whether a child is or has been a victim of sextortion online, please reassure them it’s not their fault and report it to the ACCCE.”
These online communities use different names and monikers and consist of members from all around the world. To join most of these groups, prospective members are coerced to produce or live-stream explicit content online.
In some cases, the offenders are the same age as the victims being targeted.
The AFP says sadistic sextortion offenders will initiate an online relationship with a victim on social media or messaging platform before encouraging them to produce an image or video performing an explicit sexual or violent act.
The offender will then share the content with others in the online group, who will try to extort the victim by threatening to share the material with their family or friends, unless the victim produces more videos and extreme content.
Members of the public who have information about people involved in child abuse are urged to contact the ACCCE. If you know abuse is happening right now or a child is at risk, call police immediately on 000.
