APATAP 2019 Annual Conference

Domestic child sex trafficking is often thought of as a crime that happens “somewhere else”, with most conceptualisations involving a child who is internationally trafficked.  Despite the commonly held view that Australia is resistant to trafficking, there are numerous cases which appear to fit the International and Australian legal definition of trafficking, which warrant further consideration.  A barrier to the identification and prosecution of these cases is the lack of clarity around a definition of domestic child trafficking; a challenge which is often identified in the child trafficking literature. The current research explored the definitional nuances of a definition of domestic child sex trafficking, using a Delphi methodology.  A panel of participants who have expertise in the field of child exploitation took part in several rounds of online surveys, to reach a consensus of a definition of domestic child sex trafficking within Australia. The current results will be used for further research into domestic child trafficking, but will also be useful in shaping policy.