Increase in Exit Trafficking

A recent article in The Guardian reports that exit trafficking is on the rise with 30 cases being reported to the Australian Federal Police in the 2022-2023 financial year compared with 13 in 2018-2019. Exit trafficking occurs when a person is threatened, coerced or forced to leave Australia. Most victimes of exit trafficking are women.

In April 2024 a Victorian man was convicted of exit trafficking after he forced his wife to travel to Sudan and abandoned her there. The man returned to Australia with their two children. When the woman returned to Australia, her former husband made false accusations that resulted in her not being able to see her children for a considerable time. The man is yet to be sentenced. Exit trafficking carries a maximum sentence of twelve years. Read more…

In June 2024 a Sydney man was sentenced to two years and one month imprisonment, with 12 months to be served in custody before release on a two-year good behaviour order. He had deceived his wife into travelling to Afghanistan booking a return ticket for himself but a one-way ticket for the woman having given her a false itinerary. After returning to Australia the man wrote to the Department of Home Affairs withdrawing sponsorship of the woman’s visa. Read more…