The aim of this project is to design a framework for sensitively and effectively engaging known Australian survivors of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to ensure their health, wellbeing and safety in the post-prosecution period. Research has established that CSAM survivors have distinct vulnerabilities and needs that distinguish them from other victim groups, and the United States has developed specific notification, compensation and restitution schemes for survivors that facilitate their recovery and safety. Australia has made no such provisions although Australian children feature in highly traded CSAM series. 

This presentation will present distribution data on three known CSAM series depicting Australian children drawn from Project Arachnid, as part of a collaboration with the Canadian Center for Child Protection. These series are all actively traded on the so-called “dark web”, and it is evident that the privacy and safety of the children in this material, and their families, has been compromised by the offender community. The paper will then outline an ongoing research project which aims to develop protocols for engaging Australian survivors of CSAM in dialogue about their ongoing health and safety needs. The project is conducting service mapping to identify the available health, welfare and legal supports for CSAM survivors in the Australian context, and analysing the legislative framework and context for CSAM survivor outreach and support.