Human Trafficking Set to be Second Most Profitable Crime Globally

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Human Trafficking Set to be Second Most Profitable Crime Globally

SYDNEY (19 May, 2010)- Human trafficking is set to become the second most profitable crime in the world, according to the United Nations.

The Anti-Slavery Project (ASP), a non-governmental organisation at Sydney’s University of Technology, is committed to preventing this.

Jennifer Burn, Director of the ASP and senior lecturer in Law at the UTS, says that there are there are anywhere between 100-1000 women recruited into debt bondage at any given time, and stresses the difficulty in assessing specific numbers on sexual servitude.

“Any evidence is anecdotal,” she says. “There are no reliable statistics.”

Nearly 27 million people are subjected to slavery-like practices around the world. Australia, in particular, is a destination country for Chinese and Southeast Asian women, many of whom are deceived or forced into bondage and sexual servitude.

A free trade market and the constant demand for cheap labour, products and services are just a few of the reasons why exploitation flourishes in Australia. Global contributing factors include poverty, the impact of globalisation in developing countries, decreased workers’ rights and a lack of legal migration opportunities.

Identifying instances of trafficking is difficult. Victims often have travel documents confiscated, are threatened with violence and live in fear of being reported to authorities. They are likely to live in social, cultural and physical isolation.

These victims are in need of assistance right here in Sydney, says Burn. They are often homeless, in immigration detention, living in a shelter or unfairly jailed.

University students are encouraged to get involved by volunteering professional services, raising awareness or doing a school or service project. Law and social work students, especially, can be of tremendous assistance.

“Many of our clients have nothing more than the clothes on their backs,” Burn adds.

To find out more, visit the Anti-Slavery website at http://www.antislavery.org.au/index.html

Contact:

Jennifer Burn

Faculty of Law
Anti-Slavery Project/UTS
PO Box 123
Broadway NSW 2007

(02) 9514 9662

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