Australia’s First Reported Case of Suspected Organ Trafficking

The Australian media recently reported the Australian Federal Police were investigating an alleged case of organ trafficking.  Trafficking for the purpose of harvesting organs is an international problem but this is the first case to be reported in Australia.

The Minister for Justice, Brendan O’Connor, said ”Irrespective of the type of exploitation, human trafficking follows the same premise: that people are trafficked to supply a demand – be it sex, labour or human body parts.”

Media reports:

Sydney Morning Herald

ABC News

Towards a Child Labour Free Philippines

“Jason (not his real name), wishes he has more time to play. However, unlike children of his age, he struggles to balance schooling and work to help provide the needs of his family. At the age of 12, he works for a charcoal manufacturer where he spends five hours per day, four times a week after attending school. He started working when he was 6 years old.”  (International Labour Organisation (ILO) Website)

Jason told his story to those attending Philippine World Day against Child Labour 2011 held recently.  A report on this event can be found here.

Human Trafficking:  Australia’s Response

A research paper recently issued by the Queensland Parliamentary Library examined the data available on Human Trafficking in Australia and the legislation currently in place to combat this evil of modern day slavery. The paper was presented by Nicolee Dixon, Senior Legal Research Officer at Queensland Parliamentary Library.  In addition to outlining the international conventions and protocols on human trafficking to which Australia is party it outlines the measures that have been implemented in Australia to deal with this crime.

The paper comments that due to the” international context of  the human trafficking issue and constitutional limitations, most legislative measures, policies, and other anti-trafficking responses have been at the Commonwealth Government level.”  However it goes on to reflect on the role of State governments and state and territory law enforcement agencies in supporting the Commonwealth in its effort to combat human trafficking.

A copy of the research paper is available on the Queensland Parliament website.

New Training Packages

In a recent media statement issued jointly by the Hon Kate Ellis MP, Minister for the Status of Women, and the Hon Brendan O’Connor MP, Minister for Home Affairs and Justice, it was announced that $126,960 will go to the Australian Red Cross to develop and deliver professional training to at least 500 community service workers.  Based on the real life experiences of trafficked people Ms Ellis said the training packages will train community workers to identify potential victims of trafficking, better understand their needs and provide the best possible support to help them to recover and look forward to a better life.  Mr O’Connor also indicated that the government was looking at introducing new charges to better target slavery, forced marriage and exploitative labour practice

The full media release statement may be read here.

New Documentary on Child Sex Slavery

Corridors of Children is a documentary outlining some of the reasons for children being trafficked into the sex industry in South East Asia.  This film, a project of Children United, can be used to educate about and advocate against child sexual exploitation.

Visit the Children United website to read more information about the documentary and to view a trailer of the film.

Anti-Human Trafficking Newsletter Vol 9 No 7.

The July 2011 issue of the Anti-Human Trafficking Newsletter  highlights information found in the U.S. State Departments annual ‘Trafficking in Persons’ Report for 2011.

Click here to read the newsletter.

Podcasts from Human Trafficking Forum

Social Policy Connections recently hosted a forum which looked at modern day slavery.  At this forum Professor Jennifer Burn, Director of the Anti-Slavery Project, spoke of the psychological coercion that enslaves victim of human trafficking. Michaela Guthridge, Justice Development Manager at Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand reflected on the issue of “sham marriages” and the abuses involved.  ACRATH memeber, Christine Carolan outlined five ways we can help work against human trafficking.
Click here to read more about the forum.

A podcast of Christine Carolan’s talk can be found here.

A video of Micahel Gutheridges presentation can be found here.

Victims Need Compensation

Survivors of Human Trafficking need compensation to help them rehabilitate.  Join the campaign to help them obtain this compensation.

Click here to visit the Stop the Traffik website where you can download and sign the petition

Latest ACRATH News

The latest ACRATH Newsletter gives details of recent Forums on Human Trafficking, ACRATH networking experiences with Project Respect, the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Institute of Criminology, an outline of state level activities and much more.

Click here to read this latest issue.

ACRATH Members in Western Australia Hear  First Hand  of Cambodian Experiences

At the May meeting of ACRATH WA Chloe and Joel Bond were present and shared with members their experiences of working in Cambodia over the last three years.  In Cambodia they had managed an after care centre for girls 6-18 years old who had been abused in their own homes or were survivors of human trafficking.

To learn more about Chloe and Joel’s experiences in Cambodia click here.