The feature film, Amazing Grace,
chronicles William Wilberforce's struggle to outlaw the slave trade in England
at a time when it was a mainstay of the British economy. The film serves as
a powerful reminder of the potential we all have to be catalysts for social
change.
Slavery thrives in Australia 200 years
after Abolition
20 March, 2007 – Sydney. On Sunday, 25 March,
communities across the globe celebrated Freedom Day,
the 200th Anniversary of the Abolition of the Transatlantic
Slave Trade Act
Collateral Damage:
The Impact of Anti-Trafficking Measures
on Human Rights Around the World
During the week of October 1 2007, The
Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW) global research report
(titled ‘Collateral Damage: The Impact of Anti-Trafficking Measures
on Human Rights Around the World’) was launched in Australia. At events
in Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne discussion followed on issues from the
Australia chapter of the report, and focussed on key issues highlighted in
the report such as:
The effects of linking victim assistance to cooperation
with law enforcement
Abuse of the Temporary Business (Long Stay) Visa (subclass
457) and its potential for labour trafficking
Expanding the scope of investigations of trafficking outside
of the sex industry to other labour sectors
Reforming the trafficking victim visa framework
Improving support for victims
Collateral Damage assesses the human
rights repercussions of government policies and anti-trafficking initiatives
on trafficked persons, migrant workers and sex workers. The report
considers the experiences of eight countries: Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Brazil, India, Nigeria, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States. It
is the first report to focus not only on ‘victims of trafficking,’
but on ‘victims of anti-trafficking’ as well. Overall, it
establishes that, across the eight countries reviewed, measures designed to
prevent trafficking in human beings have caused substantial
‘collateral damage’ to the very people intended to benefit from
their existence: trafficked persons, migrant workers and women. It also
identifies some key steps for advancing a human rights response to human trafficking.
ASP press release on 2007 Trafficking in Persons Report
The Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
(US State Department) released its 2006 annual report on Trafficking in Persons.
Currently, there are victims of slavery and trafficking
in the Sydney area in need of basic assistance and services. People
who have come out of slavery are often in crisis in several areas
of their lives They may be homeless, in immigration detention/jail,
living in a shelter, hospitalised or living with others in the community.
To find out about our monthly meetings, contact us on (02)
9514 9662. Please join us if you or your organisation can
help to provide the following:
If you would like to contribute to the health
and welfare of our clients, there are many ways that individuals
and community groups can provide support in-kind, by organising
an event or through a donation to our Victim Support Fund.
Call us at (02) 9514
9662 to share your ideas for getting involved.
Anti-Slavery Project, University of
Technology Sydney
Faculty of Law, PO Box 123, Broadway NSW 2007 AUSTRALIA
Phone: +61-2-9514 9662 Fax: +61-2-9514 9685
