Mutual legal assistance in investigating online child sexual exploitation and abuse: An analysis of mechanisms in Australia, The Philippines, and Implications for Vietnam

Online child sexual exploitation and abuse constitute one of the most serious forms of transnational organized crime, producing profound and long-lasting harm to children’s physical and psychological well-being. The detection and investigation of online child sexual exploitation and abuse are inherently complex and resource-intensive due to their cross-border nature and the reliance on electronic evidence. Robust mutual legal assistance mechanisms are therefore pivotal for timely and coordinated law enforcement responses. Drawing on the comparative experiences of Australia and the Philippines, this article examines how these countries have developed hybrid cooperation models that integrate formal mutual legal assistance frameworks with informal and technology-based mechanisms to facilitate cross-border investigations. By assessing these models against Vietnam’s current legal and institutional framework, the article identifies key normative and procedural gaps that constrain Vietnam’s capacity to address online child sexual exploitation and abuse. It concludes with targeted recommendations for harmonizing substantive criminal law with international standards and enhancing both formal and informal cooperation mechanisms to strengthen Vietnam’s legal and institutional capacity to combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse.