ACRATH Office Opens in WA

ACRATH (Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans) will open an office in Perth on October 29 to further its work nationally. The office has been provided by the Archdiocese of Perth and will be staffed by ACRATH volunteers.  ACRATH National Executive Officer, Christine Carolan, said “ACRATH’s anti-trafficking work, particularly our work to eliminate forced marriage, has been driven in Western Australia by our volunteers. Some schools in the state with vulnerable population groups have participated in forced marriage teacher training and awareness raising sessions for students, particularly young women. More sessions are planned for next year.”

Christine said the Perth volunteers were some of the early pioneers of the anti-trafficking movement in Western Australia, helping set up the WA Freedom Network, which looks at human trafficking issues.

Kathy Fagan, ACRATH Regional Coordinator for Western Australia, has developed strong international networks over the years that are called on when a trafficked woman is being repatriated. Network members help the woman to reintegrate back into her community or support her to rebuild her life when she cannot return to her community or family. Read more…