ABC News
Jamelle Wells – court reporter
July 30, 2010

A Sydney mother who forced 11 Thai women to work as prostitutes to help pay off her mortgage has been jailed for at least 13 months.

In March the 48-year-old pleaded guilty to bringing 11 women to Australia from Thailand for the purpose of sexual servitude between August 2005 and April 2008.

She also pleaded guilty to immigration offences.

The NSW District Court heard the women were forced to work off a debt they owed the woman for bringing them to Australia. She sent them to brothels in Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong, Adelaide and Perth.

It heard the woman paid an agency in Thailand $20,000 to supply the women who knew what sort of work they would be doing. read more..

Emily Hall, Assistant Section Manager, International Office for Women and Sally Moyle, Branch Manager for the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affair, Office for Women discuss CEDAW issues with Sr Joan Kennedy

Emily Hall, Sally Moyle and Sr Joan Kennedy, a member of the Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking of Humans (ACRATH), has appeared at the United Nations as part of a presentation to a committee about discrimination against women.  read more..

Read ACRATH’s News Release: Australian Sister at UN Speaks of Housing Needs of People Trafficked into Australia (.doc 300KB)

FairWear Australia: Stopping the exploitation of Homebased Outworkers

In this July 2010 Newsletter:

1. FairWear and Outworker Advocates appearing at Exchange for Change this week
2. A Fair School Wear campaign success
3. New accreditations to Ethical Clothing Australia
4. Experience Indonesian workers’ lives via Oxfam Australia’s bilingual blogs

read more..