New anti-slavery campaign to increase Australia’s awareness towards immigration slavery

Australia, 20th July: A new campaign is aiming to increase awareness towards growing menace of immigration slavery in Australia.

This anti-slavery campaign seems to open eyes of Australia to a harrowing fact of human trafficking in the country. The common perception about human trafficking in Australia is linked to sex industry. Australians are absolutely unaware of the immigration slavery which is going unabated.

As a result, a large number of innocent people are getting immigrated to Australia under the disguise of marriage but are being compelled to work in factories, homes and shops after arriving here, Jennifer Burn, the director of this project maintains.

As per the latest figures revealed by the UN (United Nations), criminal groups make nearly $3 billion for human trafficking in Europe. However, the figures of people brought to Australia by human traffickers are quite difficult to estimate.

The new online education campaign for increasing awareness towards immigration slavery in Australia also wants to caution those who are most likely to come in close contact with victims of immigration slavery in this country. Those include local government officials, teachers, doctors, hospitals, health care staff etc.

Talking about some vital clues which could give a hint that a particular person is a victim of immigration slavery in Australia, Ms. Burn stated the following ---

• Anyone not possessing relevant identity documents including an Australian passport;

• He is not doing the work for which he immigrated to Australia;

• He/she was deceived about the working conditions in Australia.

The most common visa used to smuggle people into Australia include a Marriage visa. Once they immigrate to Australia under through Marriage visa, an tale of unending woes opens before them when they have no choice but to become human slaves and work in pathetic working conditions in Australia, claimed Ms. Burn.

A total of 270 investigations have been conducted by the AFP(Australian Federal Police) between the year 2004 and 2009 following allegations of human trafficking in Australia.

According to Jenny Stanger who supervises the first safe house in Australia for women victims of human trafficking, there are several people who are made to work as domestic workers, in agriculture, in healthcare and in hospitality. And the victims of immigration slavery range from six-year old to 56 years old.

The anti-slavery campaign has received funding from Attorney General’s department of the Australian government.