The Australian Federal Police's Child Exploitation Assessment Centre has this year experienced a "tsunami" of reports of child exploitation, Commander Lesa Gale has told an international forum.
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Commander Gale delivered a powerful speech to the World Congress on Family Law and Children's Rights, in Ireland, emphasising that the issue of child exploitation could no longer be a taboo subject but must be talked about freely in a bid to stop the sexual abuse, torture and murder of children for an online audience.
"In 2016 we received more than 8000 reports of child exploitation," Commander Gale told the congress in Dublin.
"In the first five months of this, year the AFP has received more than 4500 reports of child exploitation - a figure greater than the number of reports received in the 2013 and 2014 calendar years.
"Each one of these reports can contain hundreds and thousands of images and videos of children being sexually abused and tortured."
Commander Gale said reports were referred to the AFP through means including the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, domestic and international policing partners, non-government organisations, telecommunication companies, internet service providers, government agencies and members of the public.
And the abuse is growing day by day, with Commander Gale conceding law enforcement agencies can not deal with it alone.
Members of the public can make a report via the "Report Abuse" button on the AFP and ThinkUKnow websites.
