The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has issued a public plea for assistance in identifying the origins of nine photographs linked to online child sexual exploitation cold cases. These images are part of the fourth release under the “Stop Child Abuse – Trace an Object” initiative, which began as a Europol project aimed at gathering public help to trace the origins of such images.
“To the ordinary eye, these photographs look like mere slices of everyday life,” the AFP stated. “But for the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE), they’re tiny clues that could help to identify, save, and support victims of online child sexual exploitation (OCSE).”
Community Involvement in Tracing Objects
The nine images in question have known connections to Australia, whether through victims, locations, or offenders. The AFP has censored these images to remove graphic content, hoping that their release might prompt the public to provide useful information or insights.
Detective Sergeant Lana Carey, leader of the Victim Identification team, highlighted a specific image from the latest release: “One of the photos shows two framed football jerseys. By putting it out into public, we’re looking to spark the memory of anyone who might have come across them.”
Carey elaborated on the potential leads: “Possibilities here could include a player or club member who might recognize the jersey colors or design, a framer who might remember doing the job, or a fan who might know the significance of the number 8 and 11 jerseys being grouped together.”
“It’s about tapping into the wisdom of everyday Australians. And we know they’re eager to play a role, given the previous three image releases have generated 1,372 reports and counting,” Carey noted.
Ongoing Commitment to Victim Identification
Despite the images representing cases where all lines of inquiry have been exhausted, Carey emphasized that they are not considered dead ends. “Our identification specialists never give up on a victim,” she said. “We follow every lead and avenue we have when files first come into the ACCCE, and if we don’t succeed, we will continue to visit them periodically, year after year, to see if new intelligence or technology might open up fresh lines of inquiry.”
AFP Commander Human Exploitation Helen Schneider explained that the images come into the ACCCE from several sources, including Victim ID taskforces and the US-based National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children. “Our victim identification team members receive fresh images of online child sexual exploitation every single day,” Schneider said.
“Every new file carries just as much horror and trauma for the victim as the one before it. Every one of them represents a life upended, so when team members take on a case, they never give up; it’s our version of looking for a needle in a haystack,” Schneider added.
Public’s Role in Solving Cases
The AFP underscores the importance of community leads in solving these cases. “We know community leads can make or break an investigation, so we encourage people to remember that any tip they give us – no matter how small – could change the life of a victim,” Schneider emphasized.
The images are available online, where the public can also submit reports or information that might assist in the investigations. The AFP’s call for public assistance is not just about solving cases but is part of a broader commitment to safeguarding children and supporting victims of exploitation.
The initiative reflects a growing trend in law enforcement to engage the public in investigative processes, leveraging collective awareness and memory to uncover crucial leads that might otherwise remain hidden. As the AFP continues its efforts, the hope is that these small clues will lead to significant breakthroughs in the fight against online child sexual exploitation.
