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It comes as a surprise to many of us that more
than 27 million people are living in slavery today. Slavery is a
social and economic relationship where control is exercised over
a person to force them to do something against their will for someone
else’s profit. It usually involves deception, actual or threatened
physical and psychological violence to coerce someone to work for
little or no pay.
Men, women and children of varying ages and backgrounds can be born
into slavery, trafficked into slavery, or enslaved through debt
contracts. They may work in agriculture, construction, restaurants,
factories, as housekeepers, caregivers, sex workers and in other
sectors.
Human trafficking is the movement of a person
into slavery. Victims often go willingly with their traffickers
because they have been promised good jobs abroad. However, the nature
and conditions of the work often disappear upon arrival, documents
are confiscated and threats against family members at home are used
to prevent workers from trying to escape.
Some of the contributing factors worldwide are
increasing poverty, the impact of globalisation on developing countries,
decreasing workers rights, demand for exploitable labour in wealthy
countries, lack of legal migration opportunities, natural disaster,
war, government corruption and the lack of an effective response
to these human rights violations. Slavery and human trafficking
do not occur in a vacuum, rather, they lie at the extreme end on
a continuum of worker exploitation.
Australia is a destination country for persons
seeking to migrate to improve their lives and the socioeconomic
status of their families. As Australia opens up to free trade markets
with weakened worker protections at home, the demand for cheap labour,
products and services will continue to intensify. This will contribute
to an environment where slavery, slavery-like practices, human trafficking,
debt bondage and exploitation in many industries can flourish.
Since 1999, the Australian government has strengthened
law enforcement tools to investigate and prosecute these crimes.
However, much remains to be done to address root causes, engage
the community and empower victims in their quest for social justice.
An effective approach to eliminating slavery in all of its forms
places the needs, experiences and human rights of vulnerable workers
at the centre of its approach. Until then, slaveholders and human
traffickers will continue to operate with impunity.
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