Edmund Rice Justice Bulletin

Attention has been focused on the issue of human trafficking in Australia with the commencement of the so-called 'sex slave' trial in Melbourne in April. On trial are the owner and the manager of a Fitzroy brothel where five Thai women were found to be working as prostitutes in an immigration department raid. It is believed that the women were deliberately brought to Melbourne to work in the brothel and were effectively held as slaves while working off debts allegedly owed to their 'employer'.

The case is significant in that represents the first prosecution in Victoria under Australia's sexual servitude laws and it draws attention to a little known issue, even though an estimated 1000 women in Australia may be working to pay off a 'debt' at any one time - often having been deceived as to the nature of the work they have been brought to Australia to perform.

Project Respect is an Australian non-Government organization which is working to challenge exploitation and violence against women, particularly those involved in the sex industry. Their website provides information about the operation of this lucrative trade often associated with criminal networks, violence and exploitation. It also points to a number of factors that make Australia an appealing site for the operation of traffickers.

The work of Project respect is supported by the Good Shepherd Sisters