sriracha john Posted May 28, 2007 Share Posted May 28, 2007 Sex slave victim wins abuse claim A former child sex slave has become the first person in Australia to be compensated as a victim of sex trafficking. Thai woman Jetsadophorn Chaladone, known as "Ning", yesterday told The Age of the success of her compensation claim for the sexual abuse she suffered at a Sydney brothel in 1995, aged 13. Ning, now 25, said she hoped her story would raise awareness about sex slavery. She was trafficked to Australia with the consent of her father, expecting to work as a nanny. She was instead put to work in a brothel. She said she was told she owed a "debt" to her traffickers of about $35,000, which she would pay off by having sex with 650 men. She was not allowed to leave the "safe house" where she and other prostitutes slept, and had no money and no contacts in Australia. Ning said she had sex with as many as 100 men in 10 days, before immigration officials found her during a routine compliance raid. She also made mention in her compensation claim of a "beating room" where unco-operative workers were taken. The owners of this Surry Hills brothel and their trafficking accomplices were never investigated for their crimes against Ning. This was despite pressure on NSW police by Sydney immigration officials, as shown through records of correspondence in 1995, obtained through freedom of information. "It still hurts to talk about it," Ning said through a translator of her experience. "I have been depressed … sometimes I feel like I don't have any reason to go on." The compensation was awarded last month but Ning is only making her case public now as she previously felt too uncomfortable to discuss the details. Her psychological scars have been heavy and enduring. The NSW Victims Compensation Tribunal stated in its reason for award that Ning "suffered from chronic post-traumatic stress disorder and moderate to severe depressive disorder" as a consequence of the abuse in Sydney. Melbourne filmmaker Luigi Acquisto helped Ning lodge her claim by arranging a psychiatric examination in Thailand, engaging the help of Melbourne human rights lawyer Fiona McLeod, SC, and arranging for her to travel to Australia. He said he first heard about Ning's case back in 1995 when he was researching a documentary about sex trafficking, and was appalled that nothing had been done. "If the brothel had been prosecuted, the Attorney-General of NSW could now claim the money paid to Ning back from them," Mr Acquisto said. "But this compensation is vitally important. Relevant compensation can pull victims out the cycle of poverty … give them some status within their community so they can lead a normal life." Ning has not disclosed the sum she was awarded, although it is modest in Australian terms. She said she would use the money to educate herself and her five-year-old son, to renovate her two-bedroom house and set up a business in her home in Kalasin province in north-east Thailand. Ms McLeod, who helped Ning to lodge a claim, said she was heartened by the precedent the case had set. "I am hopeful that the success of the compensation claim will at least educate other trafficking victims about the possibility of making claims," she said. There has been no statistical research on the number of sex slaves in Australia. Federal Government figures suggest that the number of women trafficked to Australia each year is well below 100, while Project Respect, a sex industry lobby, has conducted surveys to suggest the number is at least 300. There have been only two successful prosecutions for sex slavery since the introduction of anti-slavery laws in 1999. Brunswick brothel owner Wei Tang was sentenced to a minimum of six years' jail last June for keeping five Thai women as sex slaves. Last July, Sydney brothel owners Somsri Yotchomchin and Johan Sieders were each found guilty of engaging in sexual servitude. Ms McLeod said the failure of several other prosecutions related to the Australian visa system for sex slaves and a lack of education about the nuances of the crime. She said it was important to emphasise that the issue was one of slavery, in which women, men and children suffer. "The fact that Ning was a child when this happened makes it more devastating, but there are many adults who don't have a like choice because of poverty … whether you're a child or an adult you don't have a voice," she said. "And it's up to the rest of us to protect them." Ms McLeod met Ning for the first time last week, when Ning visited her city chambers to thank her for her work. "I'd like to thank you for everything you have done for me," Ning said. Ms McLeod responded tearfully: "This case has already given me tremendous satisfaction … I would not want my daughter to go through what you went through." - The Age (Australia) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buchholz Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Thai ex-sex slave to sue Aussie man who prostituted her at 13 Sydney, Sept 4 (ANI): A former child sex slave from Thailand is planning to sue a Sydney man she claims forced her into prostitution at a Surry Hills brothel in 1995, when she was 13. Jetsadophorn Chaladone, known as Ning, claimed that though she was forced to have sex with more than 100 men after being trafficked to the brothel, none of them has been convicted or prosecuted. But now, she is planning to sue the brothel operator, with the help of a former Australian Federal Police detective, Chris Payne, and a filmmaker, Luigi Acquisto. Ning, now 29, has hired a barrister, Fiona McLeod, SC, to prepare a civil action against the Sydney man. She told the Sun Herald that the man who enslaved her 'should know what it's like to be a prisoner or to be punished', reports the Sydney Morning Herald. Continues: http://in.news.yahoo.com/ex-thai-sex-slave-sue-aussie-man-prostituted-111745990.html ANI – 1 hour 34 minutes ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buchholz Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 * Photo Available On Link Below * Victim ... Jetsadophorn Chaladone, of Thailand, who was forced into prostitution in Surry Hills when she was aged just 13. Former sex slave to sue A FORMER child sex slave from Thailand is preparing to sue a Sydney man who she says prostituted her at a Surry Hills brothel in 1995, when she was 13. Jetsadophorn Chaladone, known as Ning, was trafficked to work at a Surry Hills brothel, where she was forced to have sex with more than 100 men. After 10 days, she was picked up in an immigration raid and deported. No one in Australia has been convicted or prosecuted for the crimes against her. In 2007 The Age, published by Fairfax Media, reported how Ms McLeod, Mr Payne, Mr Acquisto and his wife, Stella Zammataro, helped Ning become the first person in Australia to be compensated as a victim of sex slavery, winning the maximum $50,000. Speaking to The Sun-Herald from Thailand through an interpreter, Ning says that while the compensation has improved her family's living conditions, she believes that the man who enslaved her "should know what it's like to be a prisoner or to be punished". In her statement, Ning described the brothel operator at the time as a short man of Chinese appearance who dressed in shorts and T-shirts. She could not remember his name. But in a statement she made to Thai police, when she was 13, she referred to the brothel operator by his first name. It has been corroborated by the landlord of the property, who also provided a last name. Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/former-sex-slave-to-sue-20110903-1jra9.html#ixzz1WzKZO92k Sydney Morning Herald - September 4, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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