Sex Slavery Laws Not Working In Australia

[david96]

Sex slavery laws 'failing'

10:10 AM August 13

Australia's sex slavery laws are failing and police are not doing enough to free enslaved women, according to a sex industry support group and a former policeman.

A sex industry insider says traffickers are turning to Korean women after police cracked down on the importation of Thai sex slaves.

Kathleen Altzahn from the non-government organisation Project Respect says Thai women are often gang-raped, starved and beaten to coerce them into accepting the conditions of a contract.

"With Thai women, we know that contracts have been between say $30,000 and $50,000, which is a lot of money to pay off," Ms Altzahn said.

When sexual servitude legislation was introduced, Australian Federal Police targeted the trafficking of Thai women. It has not taken the criminal networks that smuggle women long to start finding different options.

A former sex worker, Nikki, says there seems to be a shift where Thai women are still being brought out but so are many Korean women.

"Traffickers are just finding another way, basically, to get around things," Nikki said.

This week, the Australian Crime Commission confirmed that while the number of Thai sex workers in Australia had decreased, the number from South Korea had increased.

Ms Altzahn says the reason is simple: "Traffickers in particular knew that Thai women were being watched more, they were being scrutinised more.

"In the case specifically of South Korean women, they don't have to get the same sort of visas as Thai women," she said. "They can get working holiday visas, so then they can work legally in Australia without so much difficulty."

Industry insiders such as Nikki say traffickers will switch again.

"It's gone from Thai women and now there's a demand for let's say more exotic Asian women like Korean women," she said.

"I have a prediction that the next spate will be African women. And where there is a demand, someone will supply."

'Free the slaves'

There have been no successful prosecutions for sexual servitude in Australia.

One Melbourne brothel where five Thai women were allegedly used as sex slaves has changed owners but it is business as usual.

Former federal police officer Chris Payne says that is one of the reasons why Australia's sex slavery laws are not working properly.

"Why don't we do something about the buildings themselves rather than just allow them to change hands and continue to operate as notorious brothels," he said.

"Leaving the brothels in place is a bit like raiding an amphetamines laboratory and arresting the operators but leaving the laboratory itself intact."

Mr Payne says councils and state police should be more involved in the fight against sexual slavery.

He wants police officers to stop focusing on the kingpins of trafficking operations and raid brothels to rescue trafficked women instead.

"It's good to go after the traffickers but the fact is we still have around about about 1,000 trafficked women in the country at any given time and unless we make a serious attempt to simply rescue them, irrespective of whether they're going to give evidence or not, they're just going to stay there," he said.

"Why can't we free the slaves, as it were?"

But that leaves the problem of what happens to the women who are rescued. As the law stands now, only those who give evidence are entitled to visas that allow them to stay in Australia.

Mr Payne says that under his plan some women would have to be deported but that is the price that has to be paid to help them and to stamp out the industry.

Advocates for trafficked women say those who are caught up in sex slavery should be allowed to stay in Australia.

Federal Justice Minister Senator Chris Ellison says the Government has made it clear that if a person is going to provide evidence for a prosecution then they can get a visa so that they can give evidence.

"That is something which we support but it can't be used as a back-door method of getting into Australia," Senator Ellison said.

Senator Ellison says federal police are already working with local authorities on sex slavery and he is pleased that the shift from Thai women to South Korean women has been picked up, because federal police can now adjust their tactics.

Source: ABC

[snoophound]

They have no Idea.

Thai women in OZ now is very small scale.

Korean and Chinese for sure are very bad.

Recently a place in Sydney was closed ....had half a dozen korean girls living on the premises.

Another in West Sydney had half a dozen chinese living in a crawl space in the ceiling.

Its not a thai problem any more.

The big money is the Korean and Chinese gangs.

The major problem is one of licensing.

The Brothel licenses in Aus only based on the property....not the operators.

Until they license and vet the operators this is not going to go away.

Sex slavery laws 'failing'

10:10 AM August 13

Australia's sex slavery laws are failing and police are not doing enough to free enslaved women, according to a sex industry support group and a former policeman.

A sex industry insider says traffickers are turning to Korean women after police cracked down on the importation of Thai sex slaves.

Kathleen Altzahn from the non-government organisation Project Respect says Thai women are often gang-raped, starved and beaten to coerce them into accepting the conditions of a contract.

"With Thai women, we know that contracts have been between say $30,000 and $50,000, which is a lot of money to pay off," Ms Altzahn said.

When sexual servitude legislation was introduced, Australian Federal Police targeted the trafficking of Thai women. It has not taken the criminal networks that smuggle women long to start finding different options.

A former sex worker, Nikki, says there seems to be a shift where Thai women are still being brought out but so are many Korean women.

"Traffickers are just finding another way, basically, to get around things," Nikki said.

This week, the Australian Crime Commission confirmed that while the number of Thai sex workers in Australia had decreased, the number from South Korea had increased.

Ms Altzahn says the reason is simple: "Traffickers in particular knew that Thai women were being watched more, they were being scrutinised more.

"In the case specifically of South Korean women, they don't have to get the same sort of visas as Thai women," she said. "They can get working holiday visas, so then they can work legally in Australia without so much difficulty."

Industry insiders such as Nikki say traffickers will switch again.

"It's gone from Thai women and now there's a demand for let's say more exotic Asian women like Korean women," she said.

"I have a prediction that the next spate will be African women. And where there is a demand, someone will supply."

'Free the slaves'

There have been no successful prosecutions for sexual servitude in Australia.

One Melbourne brothel where five Thai women were allegedly used as sex slaves has changed owners but it is business as usual.

Former federal police officer Chris Payne says that is one of the reasons why Australia's sex slavery laws are not working properly.

"Why don't we do something about the buildings themselves rather than just allow them to change hands and continue to operate as notorious brothels," he said.

"Leaving the brothels in place is a bit like raiding an amphetamines laboratory and arresting the operators but leaving the laboratory itself intact."

Mr Payne says councils and state police should be more involved in the fight against sexual slavery.

He wants police officers to stop focusing on the kingpins of trafficking operations and raid brothels to rescue trafficked women instead.

"It's good to go after the traffickers but the fact is we still have around about about 1,000 trafficked women in the country at any given time and unless we make a serious attempt to simply rescue them, irrespective of whether they're going to give evidence or not, they're just going to stay there," he said.

"Why can't we free the slaves, as it were?"

But that leaves the problem of what happens to the women who are rescued. As the law stands now, only those who give evidence are entitled to visas that allow them to stay in Australia.

Mr Payne says that under his plan some women would have to be deported but that is the price that has to be paid to help them and to stamp out the industry.

Advocates for trafficked women say those who are caught up in sex slavery should be allowed to stay in Australia.

Federal Justice Minister Senator Chris Ellison says the Government has made it clear that if a person is going to provide evidence for a prosecution then they can get a visa so that they can give evidence.

"That is something which we support but it can't be used as a back-door method of getting into Australia," Senator Ellison said.

Senator Ellison says federal police are already working with local authorities on sex slavery and he is pleased that the shift from Thai women to South Korean women has been picked up, because federal police can now adjust their tactics.

Source: ABC

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Pink Mist]

am shifting this one to HKK, it's not a visa issue