Human trafficking: A crime of the 21st Century

Human trafficking has been identified as a major transnational crime in the Asia-Pacific, and cases are occurring in Australia.

(File: AAP)

(Transcript from World News Australia Radio)

A recent United Nations report on transnational crime in the Asia Pacific region identified human trafficking as a major issue.

The UN's Office on Drugs and Crime says convictions for human trafficking are on the rise in a quarter of countries around the world.

Now, research by the Australian Institute of Criminology has shown extensive human trafficking out of one of our closest neighbours - Indonesia.

At the United Nations this month, it was called it a crime of the 21st Century.

The UN's Office on Drugs and Crime labelled it adaptive, cynical, and sophisticated, existing in developed and developing countries alike.

Now research by the Australian Institute of Criminology has shown the nature of the beast at our doorstep.

It estimates six million Indonesians are currently living and working outside their country.. and it says many of them are the victims of human trafficking.

Researcher with the Institute of Criminology, Samantha Lyneham:

"The majority of trafficked persons are female and they were trafficked for labour exploitation in most cases with a very small amount being trafficked for sex exploitation. And one of the most interesting finding is that one in four victims were also children aged between 15 and 17 years.""

Samantha Lyneham says most of the trafficked Indonesians end up in other parts of Asia, or the Middle East.

But she says there are concerns about human trafficking to Australia.

"This is regional data that we're looking at and it is specific to Indonesia but that does have an impact on Australia. We do see people being trafficked into Australia and also out of Australia and given that the majority of persons trafficked into Australia are known to originate from South East Asia, examining the trafficking patterns in our region is really important."

Since July last year, the Australian Federal Police says it's received 40 reports of suspected people trafficking, 25 resulting in investigations.

In the full financial year prior to this, it received 41 tip-offs and conducted 33 investigations.

But in a statement, the AFP says this doesn't necessarily indicate a trend.

"Although the number of investigations progressed by the AFP during 2012-2013 was lower than the previous financial year, the AFP cannot claim categorically that there is a trend in decreasing or increasing instances of human trafficking within Australia".

The group, Anti-Slavery Australia, provides assistance to those who escape trafficking.

Director Jennifer Burn says her caseload has been steadily rising.

"We've been operating now for 10 years and there has certainly been an increase over the decade but I guess we'd have a case load of somewhere between 60 and 70 currently."

Jennifer Burn is concerned there's still little information about the true dimension of human trafficking and exploitation in Australia.

"While for over 10 years the Australian Government and community have worked together to build a robust response to people trafficking in Australia it is apparent there is still a paucity of research and information about the pattern of trafficking in Australia."

Australian efforts are helping to identify victims in the sex industry.

But the Institute of Criminology research shows the vast majority of Indonesians trafficked transnationally... worked in non-sex industry sectors.

Jennifer Burn from Anti-Slavery Australia says it can be hard to find people trafficked into areas other than the sex industry.

She says they are in effect invisible, unrecognised by the public and too scared to come forward themselves.

"Particularly domestic workers and that might be women working in a private home or people in working on construction or manufacturing or in the agricultural industry, hospitality is also a potentially vulnerable industry for exploitation......People who do experience this kind of exploitation are often fearful of authority, wouldn't dream of asking assistance from the police or immigration or other government authorities in fear of deportation. So it's people who don't know they are entitled to protection who are in limbo I believe."

Samantha Lyneham notes some progress in this year's tightening of criminal laws that may help victims of human trafficking in Australia.

"In Australia we've seen the recent introduction of new legislation that addresses different types of exploitation associated with trafficking - for example marriage and forced labour."

Jennifer Burn also takes heart from the new Australian law against forced labour.

"There's been a gap for some time in that it hasn't been possible to prosecute an exploiter for keeping a person in forced labour but from the 8th of March this year that will change."

This change adds to work by Indonesia and Australia as signatories to the UN Trafficking in Persons Protocol... and their own regional Bali Process against people smuggling.

The AFP says it has specialised Human Trafficking Teams, assisted by interstate and international police.

But overall the UN reports that convictions remain low.

And the Australian Institute of Criminology says significant barriers still exist to a victim's involvement in prosecution processes.

For now, it seems, human trafficking is a crime of the 21st Century, set to last well into the 21st Century.