A Victorian father who deceived his wife into travelling to Sudan before “discarding” her and taking her children and passport back to Australia has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison.
After a county court trial in Melbourne, the 52-year-old man in April became the first Victorian convicted of exit trafficking – where someone is coerced, threatened or tricked into leaving Australia against their will.
It is a growing form of human trafficking in Australia.
What is exit trafficking?
It refers to a person being coerced, deceived or threatened into leaving Australia against their will. The practice is illegal and is treated as a form of people trafficking under commonwealth law.
How common is it?
The Australian federal police said a they received 35 reports of exit trafficking in the last financial year. This is up from 30 in the 2022-23 financial year.
But research has estimated only 20% of human trafficking and slavery cases in Australia are detected.
Australia has seen an overall annual increase in the number of exit trafficking reports. In the 2018-19 financial year there were just 13 reported cases.
Anti-Slavery Australia, a human rights centre at the University of Technology Sydney that runs a legal practice, identified the first case of exit trafficking that resulted in prosecution in 2017, after a referral from a community agency.
It resulted in the AFP laying charges that led to the first conviction of exit trafficking in Australia in 2021.
Who is at risk?
The AFP warns that tactics used by human traffickers are evolving and victims are often closely monitored and controlled by the offender.
An AFP spokesperson said examples of a victim being dependent on the offender include if they are unable to speak the language of the country they reside in, not eligible to work, have no access to money and no understanding of laws or their human rights.
Head of the Australian Red Cross’s federally funded Support for Trafficked People program, Lina Garcia Daza, said in June almost 90% of clients referred to the program after experiencing exit trafficking are women.
The director of Anti-Slavery Australia, Prof Jennifer Burn, has previously said the most common form of exit trafficking the organisation has seen is young female Australian citizens and residents trafficked overseas for forced marriages.
She said there was also a rise in women, often on temporary visas, being trafficked overseas by their intimate partners.
The AFP has asked the public to “familiarise themselves with the potential indicators for human trafficking on the AFP website and to make a report if they suspect a vulnerable person may be at risk. You could save a life.”
Information and confidential advice are also available from the Australian Red Cross, by calling (03) 9345 1800 or visiting the Red Cross website. Further
What are the penalties?
The maximum penalty for the offence is 12 years’ imprisonment.
An AFP spokesperson said prosecuting exit trafficking presents a “significant challenge” for law enforcement due to victims’ lack of awareness of their rights and fear of retribution, especially when the perpetrators are from their own communities or families.
The under-reporting of the crime and language barriers are other hurdles.
There are also legal challenges including collection of evidence from other countries and reliance on victim testimony which can be difficult to obtain.
• If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, contact the Australian federal police on 131 237. Information and confidential advice are also available from the Australian Red Cross, by calling (03) 9345 1800 or visiting the Red Cross website.
