The Age
Karen Kissane
July 17, 2008

An appeal before the High Court will decide how Australia defines slavery, giving the legal system a platform to deal with cases of exploitation of migrant sex workers.

IT WAS probably one of the more mixed audiences that Australia’s seven High Court judges have had. Up the back sat a quiet Filipino nun in a habit and veil, interested to see what this nation’s highest court made of issues surrounding the people she works with in her homeland: women trafficked for sex. read more..

The Age
Dr Anne Gallagher
July 15, 2008

What does it mean to be a slave in the 21st century? A court case in Australia is seeking to define the legalities of “owning” another human being, writes Anne Gallagher.

THIS week in Canberra, the High Court is considering what it means to be a slave in Australia in the 21st century. While the legal questions before the court are highly technical, the real issue is much more straightforward: under what circumstances will Australian law allow us to say that one person is effectively “owning” or enslaving another?

A portion of Australia’s sex industry is made up of “contract girls”: individuals brought over here from Thailand, Korea, China and other countries to meet Australia’s growing demand for commercial and “exotic” sex. Some are under no illusion about the work they are going to do. Others imagine — or are tricked into believing — that they will be employed as waiters, cleaners or bartenders. read more..