FATF Report on Online Child Sexual Exploitation
The APG Secretariat participated in the launch event of the new FATF report on ‘Detecting, Disrupting, and Investigating Online Child Sexual Exploitation’ in London on 13 March 2025. This FATF project was co-led by delegations from Australia and the United Kingdom. The project team also consisted of APG members Canada, India, Indonesia, and Singapore, as well as the APG Secretariat.
This heinous crime type is especially relevant to APG members, with significant numbers of children and young people affected by online sexual abuse and exploitation annually. Thie report highlights many of these victims, and perpetrators, are located in APG member jurisdictions so we must follow the money to uncover these crimes and bring offenders to justice.
The report highlights that online child sexual exploitation is a borderless crime, and international cooperation is critical to identifying and stopping perpetrators. The private sector must act as a strong first line of defence — banks, payment providers, and financial institutions can help detect suspicious transactions and support real-time interventions to keep children and young people safe.
Jurisdictions should consider implementing the recommendations made in the report, as appropriate within their specific risk and context. APG members are also encouraged to share the financial indicators of online child sexual exploitation with relevant stakeholder, particularly banks, payment providers and financial institutions.
