Sex slavery charges laid

[allforjehovah]

Hi everyone,

one of my pet topics! hope I am not being too preachy but you never know do you?

While the number of women being trmpficked into Oz is relatively small compared with other countries, I've met Thai women in Thai brothels who have been sold into those brothels by their families, sometimes when they were very young.

Some of these ladies have been promised the earth if they come to Oz and while they may seem to have Reviewee choice, they find they have to pay big bonds when they arrive here, and get very little of the money, so while many women aren't "slaves" in the literal sense, they have very few choices in reality. One of the strongest argumetns for decriminalisation of the industry is that these people would have soemwhere to turn to for assitance.

This press release is about a slavery ring discovered by the police.

Subject: Herald Sun Sex slave ring smashed [ 25may04 ]
Date: 5/25/04 9:23 am

Herald Sun: Sex slave ring smashed [ 25may04 ]


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Sex slave ring smashed
Craig Binnie
25may04

AN illegal prostitution ring that flew Asian women to Melbourne
and forced them to sleep with hundreds of men has been smashed by
authorities.

The women were trapped in contracts that forced them to sleep
with men for as little as $20. It is believed the women were told they
would be deported or harmed if they refused.
Federal police and immigration officials found the women in three
Melbourne brothels mpter receiving information collected by the Herald
Sun during an investigation into the sex slave trade.

The women were kept in three inner city houses.

In one instance five women were kept in a two-bedroom flat. In
another the women were watched by a driver who lived with the women and
ferried them Reviewom job to job.

The women were found in impoverished Asian countries and promised
riches if they came to Australia.

However they were not aware that one of the men importing them
had previously been convicted on charges related to trmpficking of sex
slaves.

The man and his boss at the time were convicted over their
involvement in a sex slave ring that forced 40 women to sleep with 500 men
for no payment.

In the latest case, two men paid the women's airfares and
demanded that in return the women work until the men make up to $50,000 profit
on each.

The women were charged out by brothels at $120-$140 for 30
minutes. The brothel kept about half, the importer took $30-$40 per job and
the woman got the rest -- just $20-$30 per job.

The Herald Sun was unable to establish if the brothel licence
holders knew the women were being forced to hand over most of their
income.

However one licence holder denied he knew the women had been
imported by a people trmpficker despite holding copies of their passports
showing they had entered Australia at the same time.

An Immigration Department spokesman said the raids carried out
based on information provided by the Herald Sun found 14 South Korean
women working in the three brothels. Their visas were cancelled and the
women are now being held in detention awaiting "their removal Reviewom
Australia".

"Where people are located working in the sex industry they are
interviewed to determine whether there are any indicators of people
trmpficking," an Immigration Department spokesman said.

The Herald Sun's investiga tion also discovered:

UP TO 200 Thai women were to be brought into Australia on
counterfeit New Zealand passports. This plan was also foiled when New Zealand
authorities were alerted to the passport scam.

TEN Melbourne brothels were happy to accept imported women even
if their passports were confiscated.

ILLEGAL brothel operators set up business within days of being
charged or closed down because they do not fear the penalties.

MELBOURNE has four people trmpfickers who provide women to
Melbourne brothels.

YOUNG women who have not worked in the industry before are
eagerly sought by brothels and promised 10 jobs on their first night.

The imported women are paid in cash and their pimps rarely pay
tax on their income.

 

[Relheok]

Slavery

I find that a small minority of people are little better than some of the things I step in while walking the dogs in the park.
I suppose the penalties have to be increased for people who trade in human life. One of the ways would be deportation, we don’t need people of this calibre in Aussie, bu I suppose they would only set up shop in another country.
I personally could not see a WL who was forced into this sort of deal.

I thought I saw on the ABC late last night something about they were thinking of RE-criminalizing prostitution. That would be a backward step.
Cheers,
Rocky

 

[daywalker]

Hmmm

I didn't catch the item on Lateline, but Reviewom what I gather, all this noise was being generated by one of those (I'll be polite) "interest groups" whose agenda is to save women Reviewom the sex industry.

They have a website, http://www.projectrespect.org.au/ and while the introduction on the opening page sounds very noble,

About Project Respect

Project Respect is an Australian non-government organisation which challenges exploitation of and violence against women in the sex industry. Project Respect was established in late 1998 to work with women and girls in the sex industry, and began direct service work in March 2000. We conduct outreach and offer services to women in brothels and tabletop dancing and where there is a high concentration of women Reviewom non-English speaking backgrounds.

browsing through the links page reveals.... no information about, or links to ANY of the established Australian worker support groups, eg Scarlet Alliance (national), SWOP (NSW) or RHeD (Vic) - instead, you will find many, many links to items about people smuggling for prostitution etc.

While this is not a bad thing, (and I fully support the idea of stopping the trade in "forced" workers) it has the effect of branding the entire industry as being exploitative and ignoring the fact that there are many women who choose to work in the industry of their own accord.

Seeking to recriminalise the industry is not the solution - indeed, it will make matters far worse by driving what is now a legitimate industry underground.

For example: Under current Victorian legislation, an applicant for a brothel licence must provide information not only about himself/herself, but also about associates, business partners etc and may not have any financial interest in more than one establishment. The intention of this was to eliminate (or at least minimise as far as possible) the involvement of organised crime elements in the industry.

If the industry were to be recriminalised, then licence applications are out the window (how can you apply to do something that's illegal?) and the door is thrown wide open once again.

My rant for the day...

Raven

 

[Crow T. Robot]

IT IS A GOOD RANT

I never understand why certain factions of society can't see that their aims cause more issues than they would ever solve. Criminalising the industry would be a waste of time. Prohibition simply doesn't work, it just makes it flourish more and allows criminals to run the show.

This was a particularly depressing post but also educational, I didn't think that the slavery trade was an issue "at all" in this country. To say we don't have a very poor reputation actually stuns me, I thought we would have no cases at all. This sought of thing really shits me off and it amazes me that their are people, living amongst us, who profit Reviewom the misery of other people.

I learnt at a very early age that I am capable of many things but not cruelty. This type of cruelty is bought about because the people responsible lack empathy. They must have high levels of psycopathy, the rest of us would feel our victims pain. That is what stops us doing things like this, conscience.

I hope they lock the bastards up for life.

 

[ratatouillewoo]

[.......

 

[sian m]

News Report

Just saw the latest news on Optus,


Govt to support victims of people trmpficking
1:10 PM May 25

The Federal Government is expecting to provide support for up to 70 female victims of people trmpficking this year.

A Senate Estimates committee has heard that figure is expected to rise to 90 in the following year.

The Office of the Status of Women has set aside $675,000 to provide assistance for trmpficked women.

Since January, the office has provided support for seven victims at a cost of almost $27,000.

Source: ABC

Looks like somebody is doing a LITTLE to help the victims, although it soundsl like they are expecting things to get worse.
Cheers,
Rocky

 

[Hope]

Update re re-criminalising of prositution

Hi,

here's the extract Reviewom lateline. I remember reading on another site a review of a parlour where all the ladies were asian and soemone there questioned whether in fact it might have had trmpficked womenw orking there.

LOCATION: http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2004/s1114950.htm

Broadcast: 24/05/2004

Trmpficking figures prompt prostitution ban call
reviewer: Suzanne Smith


TONY JONES: It is estimated that there could be at least 1,000 bonded sex slaves in Australia - prostitutes trmpficked mainly Reviewom Thailand on false passports and visas.

Community organisations fighting the trade, like Project Respect, say the figure is not an exaggeration and bold new measures are required to defeat the trmpfickers.

They are calling for the re-criminalisation of prostitution and fines for men who pay for sex at brothels.

They argue the only way to stop the secretive trade is to reduce the demand for paid sex and therefore the need for more victims.

As Suzanne Smith reviews, it's a policy already in place in Sweden with positive results.

But first, a warning: Some images in this review may disturb some viewers.

SUZANNE SMITH: It is a chilling fact that trmpfickers are often the first people to arrive at natural disasters, looking for vulnerable young women for their secretive trade.

Here, at the devastating earthquake at Bam, trmpfickers were there looking for new recruits.

BRIAN ISELIN, INTERNATIONAL LAW ADVISOR TO UN: So they go out of their way to look for places where people are exposed and vulnerable - armed conflict, natural disasters such as the earthquake at Bam.

We know trmpfickers were in within several days getting children out to feed into other trmpficking chains, to feed into as adoptions for example.

SUZANNE SMITH: Once here in Australia, their perilous induction into sex slavery begins.

Many women are trmpficked into legal brothels like these in Melbourne
Former prostitute, worked alongside a trmpficked woman Reviewom Russia.

She says the life of a bonded sex slave is harrowing.
, FORMER PROSTITUTE: The worst story I heard was of a woman who was 19.

She was told she was coming here to do Thai massage.

But when she arrived here and realised what she had to do, she refused and so was locked in a room and she was ganged rape for several days by six men.

During that time she became infected, as in urinary infection.

She was bleeding and very upset and she still refused to work, so they basically left her alone in a room and they starved her and she had nothing to eat or drink for 10 days and she finally succumbed and did as she was told.

SUZANNE SMITH: She now helps organisations like Project Respect find trmpficked women in brothels.

Between February and March this year, they found 300 women, some were in hiding.

Their stories raise serious questions about how such an industry can flourish in Australia without detection.

It is for this reason Project Respect wants Australia to follow Sweden's lead and make buying sex illegal and issue fines to men who use brothels.

KATHLEEN MALTZAHN, PROJECT RESPECT: They don't necessarily charge a lot of men, but it is an educational tool to say that sex is not an entitlement that you can have, that you can take.

And they are finding that that is decreasing the demand for sex, for prostitution.

And as the demand for prostitution decreases, the number of women trmpficked in to meet the demand also decreases.

That is an interesting way forward.

SUZANNE SMITH: This film, Lilya 4 Ever, is also an important part of the Swedish campaign against trmpficking.

It is a dramatisation of the true story of a Russian sex slave.

Lilya is Reviewom an impoverished town in Russia, orphaned and alone, targeted by trmpfickers.

The film is shown to all boys of high school age and to border guards and should be shown here according to former [Australian] Federal Police officer with the Asian Crime Squad, Brian Iselin.

BRIAN ISELIN, The most impact needs to be in the area of education and a socialisation, you know, through schools, and universities - showing men and women, boys and girls, educating them about what rights they have with regard to sex.

And the fact that it is not right for a man to take sex unconsented, unconsensual.

It is not right for a man to buy sex.

So it is about creating those standards.

ROBBIE SWAN, EROS FOUNDATION: No you can't buy women, that's for sure, you never can.

And no prostitute or sex worker would ever say that they were being bought.

What they're saying is that "I'm offering you a service which involves my body."

There will always be men who want to buy sexual services Reviewom women and there will always be women who want to sell it to men.

SUZANNE SMITH: And for that reason, Robbie Swan says any ban on commercial sex won't work in Australia.

ROBBIE SWAN: Well, I think it is the dumbest suggestion I have ever heard.

It is as dumb as fining prostitutes or brothel owners for the same offence.

It just simply will never work.

It never ceases to amaze me how politicians around the world can misjudge human nature so much.

SUZANNE SMITH: Human nature or not, the Swedes maintain their policies are working and will help to curb this brutal trade.

 

[Noah]

too true

This is the very reson I ceased my (paid) play time with HABs.
I could not stand to think I would support this traumatic torture of those unlucky enough to be born poor and in the 3rd world. I was speaking to a Bosnian refugee at work this week who at the age of 8 witnessed all the male members of his family succumb to "ethnic cleansing". Another Reviewiend of mine adopted a child Reviewom the 3rd world recently, this child was abonded by a child mother who was too poor to support herself let alone try and feed a baby in a war torn country, hopefully this child will get to have a life everyone in the world deserves; opportunity and informed choice. We don't know how lucky we are to live in a country that's greatest concern is the price of petrol and our politicians tell "WHITE lies".
A good post for sorry day actually.
I am way too deep and emotional today, I must need the uplifting benefit of ..............................?

 

[ngantuk99]

Great topic!

Having travelled trough Asia many times I too have spoken to many girls who have been duped into this. The hardest part for customers is knowing whether or not they are there of their own choice or whther they have been sold. Some people would not even beleive that we have girls in Australia that are forced to work in the sex trade. Sometimes they are knowingly sold too and hope for a better life. Whilst we have the strict movement laws on certain typs of people, mainly poor, black(meaning "not White"), and women we will have human trmpficking for sex. And beleive me whilst we have men, and some women, who will exploit this, like the cheap cheap sex offered in Asia and now large parts of Europe, we will always have this problem. It is a hard call but I have seen many wealthy western guys complaining about the price of a girl when in reality it is only Aus$40 and that is not by the hour either! And they are not what $40 gets you in Oz, they are pretty and clean.

It has been going on in Australia for a while now, the newspaper stories attest to that. It is just that the average person sees these girls as different Reviewom us, the guys different Reviewom us, the business owners different Reviewom us, when in fact they are the same as us. Once we see them as people like us we will treat them better, we will do better for them. We also can do something about it because we know what it is.

There are many orgainsations that help all around the world. Poverty is a big cause of this problem.

I could go on and on about this topic,

Thanks for bringing it up....................

MissSpanky'xx

 

[Eric Gees]

Don't get me wrong sexual slavery is wrong. But how will banning Prostituon stop it. If anything it woyuld probably make it worse. The reason why brothels are now legal in Queensland was becase of the Fitzgerald inquary. That reckoned that illegal brothels equled a corrupt police force as they took bribes Reviewom brothel owners. Yes sexul slavery should be stamped on and hard. But making Prostitution illegal is plain madness. Short of brining in Talaban stryle punsihments. Such shooting WGs and mp.nets at the State Of Origin for half time entertainment. You arn't going to stop Ladies who want to be WGs and mp.nets who want to see them.
Yours Colin The Two Cents Worth Hun :evil: