A podcast launched by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) educating the community about online child sexual exploitation has been nominated for Best Documentary Podcast in the 2021 Australian Podcast Awards.
Assistant Police Commissioner Northern Command at the AFP, Lesa Gale said the 10-part podcast series Closing The Net was created by the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE).
“It highlighted how quickly children could be groomed by online predators,” AC Gale said
“The series was produced in response to an increase in reports of online child sexual exploitation,” she said.
“While Closing The Net is at times uncomfortable to hear, the AFP is encouraging parents, caregivers and teachers to listen to the podcast in a bid to better protect their children and loved ones.”
AC Gale said the podcast was an important step in raising awareness and educating the community on the insidious crime.
She said the podcast had recorded more than 66,000 downloads, trended number one on Australian documentary podcasts and had resulted in more discussions and disclosures of online child sexual exploitation.
“Research commissioned by the ACCCE shows about half of parents talk to their children about online safety, 51 per cent of parents don’t know what to do to keep their kids safe online and just three per cent of parents were concerned about online grooming,” she said.
“We need to educate ourselves about what online child exploitation is, how easy and quickly it can occur and how to identify and report offensive online behaviour.”
AC Gale said with insights from more than 55 child protection experts across law enforcement, Government, academia and non-Government organisations, the ACCCE podcast was regarded as a valuable resource for information and guidance within the child protection sector.
“We all have a role to play in the protection of children and I implore everyone to listen and take action,” she said.
The ACCCE Closing The Net podcast is available from all major podcast platforms.
