Child abuse relates to illegal behaviour, act or acts against children and are considered serious crimes by Victoria Police.
Our ongoing commitment is to support child abuse victims and hold perpetrators to account.
What defines child abuse
Child abuse is defined as an act or omission that endangers a child's physical or emotional health or development.
Types of behaviours considered child abuse
Child abuse can occur both in person or online and can take many forms, including:
- physical abuse
- sexual abuse and offences
- psychological or emotional abuse
- abuse through neglect
- indecent exposure/sexual exposure of genitalia
- image-based sexual offending
- sextortion
- a combination of the above.
Child abuse may occur through one incident or may have continued over time.
It can be a recent or a historical (past) case of child abuse. Sometimes the victim will now be an adult.
Child abuse is a very serious crime and all children have the right to protection under the law.
Who commits child abuse
Child abuse crimes can be committed by anyone, including family members.
Child abuse can occur anywhere.
There is no time limit to report child abuse
It is never too late to report a case of child abuse.
We respond to all reports of crimes against children, no matter when they occurred.
Understanding consent and children
A child under the age of 16 cannot give consent therefore any sexual activity is automatically considered abuse. Consent is a voluntary agreement between people to engage in any sexual activity.
In Victoria, the age of consent is 16 years old.
Learn more about consent and sexual activity.
Possession of child abuse material
Possessing, accessing, producing, and distributing child abuse material are all criminal offences in Victoria.
An intimate image that depicts a person under the age of 18 years also meets the definition of child abuse material.
Learn more about image-based sexual offending.
Sextortion (sexual extortion) scams
Sextortion is when someone tricks or blackmails you into sending them sexual or intimate images or videos that can then be used to exploit, bully or harass.
These scams often target children and young people.
Learn more about sextortion scams and how to report them.
Indecent exposure/sexual exposure of genitalia to children
Sexual exposure of genitalia is the deliberate exposure of private body parts in public. It is sometimes known as flashing or indecent exposure.
Deliberate public exposure and masturbation in public is a crime.
Accidental exposure does not constitute a criminal offense.
Where sexual exposure laws apply
Sexual exposure can happen if it is seen from a public place, even if it is not committed in a public place.
Image-based sexual offending and children
Learn more about image based sexual offending.
How to report child abuse
Report a recent or historical (past) case of child abuse to Victoria Police on our Report child abuse page.
How to report a sexual offence
Report a recent or historical (past) sexual offence to Victoria Police on our Report a sexual offence page.
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