Financial transparency to combat exploitation

Research led by staff from Charles Sturt’s Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security (AGSPS) has highlighted an important role that financial transparency plays in countering human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

The study, ‘Detecting, disrupting and deterring sexual exploitation of trafficked persons: leveraging beneficial ownership registries to reduce criminogenic information asymmetry and raise public expectations’, was published in Current Issues in Criminal Justice (March 2025).

Working with international collaborators, the study assessed legislative approaches to beneficial ownership disclosure. It considered how accessible ownership information can support law enforcement, regulators, financial institutions, researchers and policymakers in responding to serious financial crime linked to exploitation.

By contributing analysis to legislative and policy discussions, the work supports efforts to build effective, transparent institutions and address exploitation through evidence-based reform.