media release
issued: June 2006
The plight of modern-day slaves will be brought into sharp focus with a public rally in Adelaide this week.
The Australian Conference of Leaders of Religious Institutes, meeting in the City of Churches for their annual assembly, will show their public support for the work being done to stop human trafficking.
Elizabeth Hoban, from Melbourne and Jennifer Burn, Sydney, both of whom work at an international level, will speak at the rally, in Adelaide's Victoria Square, on Thursday, June 29, from 12.30-1.30pm.
Since May 2005, a National Religious Congregations' Anti-Trafficking Working Group has operated to raise awareness about the issue, to provide support for the women rescued from slavery and to work towards visa reform.
This group also works collaboratively with, and in support of, other networks involved in this area of Trafficking in Persons, especially in women and children.
The Coordinator of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan Working Against Human Trafficking, Sr Pauline Coll sgs, will speak to the ACLRI gathering, on Wednesday, June 28.
She will highlight that Australia is considered a "high"-ranked destination for trafficking in persons, while our neighbour, New Zealand, is considered "medium".
Mostly women are the victims while the number of minors is less and there are no references to men and boys as victims of trafficking in this region.
Trafficking in Australia is primarily, but not exclusively, for sexual exploitation.
"Trafficking exists in almost all countries of the world," Sr Pauline said.
"It is estimated that between 700,000 and two million people are trafficked into the sex industry, forced labour, domestic labour, for marriage or for body organs, each year.
"Clandestine in nature yet highly profitable, it is an evil in our own communities that must be publicly worked against."
The reality of trafficking in Australia has been given public exposure with several court cases. These include a recent guilty verdict handed down by Judge McInerny to Wei Tang, ex-licensee of Club 417 in Brunswick Street, Melbourne, in a case involving five women, and the case of alleged sexual exploitation of a 19-year-old woman from Thailand, currently before a Sydney court.
On Saturday, June 17, more than 40 Catholic Religious and their colleagues meeting at Santa Maria College, Northcote, Melbourne, joined with other colleagues and the University of Technology Sydney Anti Slavery Project in condemning slavery in Australia, when Sr Pauline facilitated a forum for reflection and information sharing.
At a similar meeting in Sydney earlier this month, those present resolved to engage in advocacy and action to stop slavery in Australia.
Sr Pauline said that she hoped early intervention would prevent the evil of trafficking from becoming the insidious threat in Australia that it presents in other countries.
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