DICE ‘ROLE’: Disrupting Child Sexual Exploitation – Researching Onset of Young People’s Lived Experience with Coerced ‘Self-produced’ Material
This project focused on how children and young people are being coerced to ‘self-produce’ Child Exploitation Material (CEM). This qualitative study utilised an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to hear from children, young people and relevant professionals so they can identity the various pathways leading children and young people to ‘self-produce’ CEM. It is anticipated that by understanding the events and actions that children and young people are subjected to, that prevention and response strategies can be further identified, refined and implemented to help keep children and young people safe from exploitation.
Read more about the DICE (Disrupting Child Exploitation) Project
Researchers:
PhD Candidate Genevieve Bloxsom was supervised by Professor Cathy Humphreys, Dr Gemma McKibbin and Dr Jennifer Davidson.
Funders:
A stipend studentship was provided by McKillop Family Services as part of their Power to Kids Program.
Partner organisations:
In addition to McKillop Family Service’s studentship, they also participate as part of the Advisory Committee. This project is a nested study within the DICE (Disrupting Child Exploitation) Project.
Project Dates: Oct 2022 – Oct 2025
Publications:
Sastre-Gomez, V., McKibbin, G., Bloxsom, G., Humphreys, C., & Dixon, S. (2026). The intersection of sexual and criminal exploitation for children going missing in residential care: patterns; problems; and opportunities. Children and Youth Services Review, 108894.
McKibbin, G., Humphreys, C., Gomez, L. V. S., Bloxsom, G., & Dixson, S. (2026). Disrupting Child Sexual Exploitation: A Cautionary Tale. Child & Family Social Work.
Practice Tool:
The Bloxsom De-Webber Tool: Dismantling the Web of Child Sexual Exploitation
The Bloxsom De-Webber Tool was designed to help guide multi-agency child sexual exploitation (CSE) disruption planning and translate research into a practical process. This was developed from the conceptualisation of the “Web of CSE” (The “Web”) described in Bloxsom et al. (2026b) and draws on the expert knowledge of children who have been sexually exploited. This framing provides a way for adults and systems to start understanding the exploitive Web a child is made to navigate, and the tool provides a way for safe adults and systems to start recognising and dismantling the structures and conditions that support the functioning of the Web. When mapping the child’s Web, it is strongly encouraged the child’s perspective of this CSE is acknowledged, and if adults interpret the exploitation differently, this should be captured. This tool guides CSE disruption only, it is not a safety plan template that outlines how adults should respond when a child goes missing or following a sexual assault. This tool involves first mapping the Web and then planning how to dismantle it.
Link: https://vawc.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Dismantling-the-Web-of-Exploitation_Bloxsom.pdf
Contact: Genevieve Bloxsom