HUMAN TRAFFICKING - Jenny Baxter

Legally, slavery no longer exists. It was officially abolished in most of the British Empire on 1 August 1834, 173 years ago. To further enforce the abolition, Article 4 of the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rig hts prohibited slavery, and the slave trade worldwide, on 10 December 1948, 61 years ago. Despite these injunctions, illegal trafficking, and the related crime of illegal slavery, is a huge, hidden and lucrative enterprise.

Today, slavery of men, women and children occurs in greater numbers than ever before. Precise numbers are difficult to obtain because slave traders operate underground. However, David Bales of non-for-profit organisation Free the Slaves, has done extensive research to arrive at the figure of 27 million people who are subject to slavery globally.

Human trafficking is the modern-day term for the slave trade. It is now the fastest growing illicit activity in the world, second in size only to drug trafficking. Siddharth Kara, author of Sex Trafficking, wrote that "the total revenue generated by the exploitation of all victims of human trafficking in 2007 was $US58.6 billion".

It is the multiple 'use' of humans that makes their sale so lucrative. Some women are forced to service multiple clients, seven days a week, 365 days a year. No reprieve during their monthly cycle, no downtime if they are sick and no way out if they are pregnant. It is estimated that 80 per cent of trafficked victims are destined for involuntary sexual servitude, most are women and children.

Christine Caine is a Greek-Australian itinerant speaker based at Hillsong Church, Sydney. She was horrified to learn about trafficking when she saw the walls of Thessaloniki airport, Greece, covered in photos of girls who had 'gone missing'.

In response, she began the A21 Campaign, which is administered from Sydney, Thessaloniki and California. Annie Dollarhide, A21 Campaign's Marketing and Communications Manger, said girls in Thessaloniki are physically and psychologically abused, and forcibly confined to do work they find abhorrent.  "Girls may be locked in a room, or held simply in a prison of fear," she said.

 "Often the police are clients. So if a girl escapes she may be sent back to the brothel or else she may be charged for being an illegal immigrant. She may also be deported, but her family are so ashamed of her, she is often rejected."

Only one per cent of victims, are rescued - their rehabilitation takes time, care and dedication.

Professor Les Holmes, of the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne has done extensive research into human trafficking, particularly in Europe.

"Legalisation of prostitution in some states means there is social approval. This increases demand, which increases supply" Holmes said.

Demand is created by consumers and a supply is provided by traffickers, tapping into the bottomless pit of those desperate enough to be deceived.

Australia is not exempt from trafficking. The 2007-2008 Federal Budget allocated $38.3 million to counteract people trafficking over a four-year period.  While the number of people trafficked into Australia is low compared to many other countries, the Australian Government is committed to combating all forms of people trafficking, including trafficking for sexual servitude and labour exploitation.

Project Respect is an Australian organisation that promotes the rights of trafficked sex workers. Due to the nature of the problem, definite figures are difficult to obtain. However, Project Respect estimates about 1000 women are trafficked into Australia each year. Nina Vallins of Project Respect is pleased the government has allocated funding, but disappointed no one is paid to research the exact extent of the problem.

"We don't have a sophisticated awareness of the continuum of trafficking here - from willing prostitution all the way to involuntary servitude. So how can we know what we are fighting?"

Australia's involvement in the sex trade is not confined to our own shores. Male holidaymakers travel to Asia and engage in so-called 'holiday sex', often unplanned but sometimes well orchestrated. Research conducted by the John Hopkins University in Baltimore, indicates Australians make up the largest proportion of foreign sex offenders in Thailand. These figures were based on studies of arrests and prosecutions from 1995-2006. Bernadette McMenamin, CEO of ChildWise Australia said, "There is a growing demand for child sex. The figures [from John Hopkins University] do not indicate travelling sex offenders are the main offenders - locals also take part in sexual activities with children." The pattern once again emerges: demand entices traffickers to supply the victims.

While sex slavery is a common 'use' for trafficked victims, the buck does not stop there. Tim Costello, CEO of World Vision Australia, recently interviewed David Batstone, a Professor of Ethics at the University of San Francisco and President of the Not For Sale Campaign - an organisation, which according to their website, "equips and mobilizes Smart Activists to deploy innovative solutions to re-abolish slavery".

Batstone remarked, "Car tyres are made by slaves in Liberia; cotton, sugar, cocoa and coffee beans are harvested in West Africa; and pig iron is extracted for cars in Brazil".

No country is exempt. In Sex Trafficking, Kara comments on the Chinese practice of children being sold for organ harvesting. He wrote, "There is no crime more disgraceful than murdering innocent children, profiting from the removal of their hearts, livers, kidneys and eyes, and tossing the remains out like refuse".

John Miller, former US State Ambassador said, "We are not talking here about whether someone gets a longer work break, a few more cents per hour or if someone in a brothel gets a condom. We are not talking about working conditions. We are talking here about slavery - the loss of freedom. We are talking about the threat of force or the actual use of violence to deprive someone of their freedom."

So, what is being done to combat this 'crime against humanity'? In 2000, the United Nations adopted the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Palermo, Italy. Among other actions the Palermo Protocol prohibits the trafficking of children, ensures trafficked persons will not be punished, attends to immigration and visa issues, and suggests traffickers should be punished in proportion to their crime. Many UN states, including Australia, agreed to the Protocol, but enacting it is not straightforward. Professor Holmes said, "many countries have not done the changes necessary, with at least 70 per cent of states having worked hard on the punishment and prevention side of the issue, but have not done much in regard to the protection of victims".

Costello suggests there is hope. We can make a difference. "Through projects that prevent people from being vulnerable to trafficking, to protection of victims, effective prosecution and policy, World Vision's work is helping to bring this atrocity to an end". But it is not just up to World Vision or governments to end injustice. "Each person can take a stand against human trafficking and slavery each day. Our Don't Trade Lives campaign is about equipping everyday Australians, to make everyday choices that reduce demand for exploitative labour and raise a voice for our neighbours, particularly in South Asia, who are impacted by this immoral trade," Costello said.

As much as we enjoy a 'she'll be right' attitude, Australians must take responsibility for this situation. We are the ones creating the demand. Our men insist on sex with young Asians both here and overseas. We want cheap clothing, we consume outrageous amounts of sugar and we gorge ourselves on chocolate. Then, in the biggest twist of all, we have lowered the bar by reducing the intimate act of love-making, into a legitimate occupation which can be legally bought and sold.

Professor Holmes said, "Neo-liberalism focuses on the ends rather than the means, which has led to a decline in ethics". We so easily forget that nothing comes cheaply - if we don't pay, then someone else does.

By Jenny Baxter