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Child sexual exploitation is closer to home than most Australians realise. Christians are called to respond with more than shock — through prayer, generosity and courageous action.

The world has a problem, and our nation is neck-deep in it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be getting the traction that its magnitude demands. Like a silent and deadly disease, it is spreading unchecked into many sectors of our society. The sexual slavery and exploitation of children, and Australia’s role in it, needs to be addressed.

Many would agree that this industry is a filthy stain upon the robe of humanity, but I dare say that its extent and proximity to home might surprise many. It certainly shocked me.

By the numbers:

• Over 1 million children are exploited by commercial child sexual exploitation
• 59% of children trafficked are from the Asia Pacific region
• $99 billion is generated by sex traffickers each year. That averages to approximately $11 million every hour (Destiny Rescue)
• 9.4% of Australian men admitted to sexually offending against a child, including online and offline offending.
• 15.1% of Australian men reported experiencing sexual feelings towards children.
• Nearly one in five Australian men reported either sexual feelings towards children, offending against children, or both (UNSW report)
• Australia has been identified as the largest group of foreign visitors prosecuted in Thailand for sexual offences, making up 31% of the total.

Closer to Home

That one in ten Australian men admit to offending against a child was astronomically higher than I expected. To say that this is a monumental issue is nowhere near hyperbole.

Even in my own regional hometown, news stories that confirm these trends are filtering out with more regularity. Recently, a 32-year-old Taree woman and a male co-accused were charged after police alleged the woman used her 12-year-old daughter to produce child abuse material. Both were refused bail while the matter proceeds through the courts.

Although these charges are not formally classified as human trafficking, they are a sobering reminder that the sexual exploitation of children can occur within our own communities.

Response and Remedy

Destiny Rescue is an Australian-based Christian organisation that has been rescuing children for over 23 years. In 2024, they facilitated the rescue of 4,177 people, 1,876 of whom were children. Their efforts also aided in over 200 arrests of both traffickers and abusers alike. Organisations like Destiny Rescue are on the front lines of God’s restorative justice in our region.

This darkness beckons a response. These precious children, created in the image of God, deserve a response. Our Father in Heaven commands a response (see Psalm 82:3). For those reading this who are mortified by these statistics and stories, you may be asking a simple question: what can I do?

The cure for every ill, for every evil, is Jesus and the gospel of His kingdom. There is an invitation for us as His people to partner in His work upon the earth. My exhortation today is simple and two-fold: faith and feet.

First, faith. We need to pray. We need to storm the gates of heaven with these precious afflicted ones and cry out for justice. Will not God grant it to those who cry out day and night? As Jerry Falwell said, “Nothing of eternal value is ever accomplished apart from prayer.”

Second, feet. I unashamedly encourage every reader of this article to give financially to Destiny Rescue’s Tread on Trafficking campaign. When I speak with Destiny Rescue representatives, they often say that the intel on potential rescues always outpaces the resources to perform them. Put simply, they know where the kids are, they just need the finance to free them.

This is a sure-fire, fail-safe investment in the kingdom of God. Our prayers and giving are guaranteed to have an impact. The yield on partnering with setting these children free is of eternal weight and scale. Will you heed the cry of the oppressed and put feet to your faith in the God whose throne is built on justice?

If you would like to donate to my family’s fundraiser for Tread on Trafficking, follow this link.

Editors note

Will Mander will be the guest speaker this Sunday night (9th September, 2026) on our Canberra Declaration Zoom Prayer Meeting. You can hear from Will and pray with us about this important issue on our regular Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/776881184 (Waiting room, no password) at 8.00pm AEST.