Labour trafficking, not sex trafficking needs more attention

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

By Tim Costello
CEO World Vision Australia

Stories of girls as young as five found exploited and abused in brothels have been splashed across our screens for the past 10 years. These stories are shocking and deserve the media's scrutiny, but this shining light on one dark corner of our world has meant an even larger issue has not been given the attention it needs and deserves.

A new World Vision report, released on Sunday for World Day Against Child Labour, shows the trafficking of men, women and children for labour exploitation is far more widespread than sex trafficking. The report also highlights the fact that for every trafficking victim subjected to forced prostitution nine people are forced to work.

Labour trafficking can be found in developing countries in places like brick or garment factories, on fishing boats and farms or in people's homes – but there are also cases right here in Australia. Victims often work long hours in dangerous and dirty conditions, receive little or no pay and are often held as prisoners. They are modern-day slaves.

Unfortunately, labour trafficking is still generally not viewed by the public as widespread or as severe a crime as sex trafficking. People who are forced to work are also not always identified as victims of labour trafficking by the relevant authorities. As a result, the majority of trafficked persons do not have access to assistance or justice and the traffickers remain free to continue to exploit and profit from other victims.

World Vision's experience in Southeast Asia and the stories we have heard from returned and repatriated labour trafficking victims prove beyond any doubt that forced labour is a widespread crime.

The $US4.8 billion Thai fishing sector is just one of the many industries where labour exploitation is a growing concern. Thailand is the world's largest canned tuna producer and the fishing industry plays an important part in the Thai economy. Fishing was traditionally a source of income for men from the north-east of Thailand, but these days it is work often left to migrants from Cambodia and Myanmar.

First-hand accounts collected by World Vision paint a rather disturbing picture of labour trafficking in the Thai fishing industry. Boys and young men, especially from Cambodia and Myanmar, leave their villages looking for better work opportunities in Thailand but are tricked by traffickers and end up being sold to fishing boat captains. These boys and men are then trapped at sea on offshore fishing boats, starved and forced to work literally to the point of death. Victims have reported that physical abuse and threats are common and workers who try to resist or who become sick are killed or thrown overboard to die.

Kyaw Win* is just one of the many victims who ended up in such exploitative conditions. Born in Myanmar, Kyaw wanted to support his family but ended up in an exploitative situation in Thailand on a fishing boat when he was 16 years old. The boat, run by Thais, operated illegally in Indonesian territory. Kyaw says the conditions on the boat were worse than an 18th-century slave ship.

"They allowed us to sleep only about one hour per day. There were Thais and Khmer people on the boat but they got better treatment than us [from Myanmar]," recalls Kyaw. Controlled by a crew with guns, Kyaw says he and fellow migrants from Myanmar were treated "as animals". After six months Kyaw managed to escape by jumping off the boat in the middle of the night.

Although a majority of labour trafficking happens outside of Australia, individuals, governments and businesses worldwide directly and indirectly fuel the crime of human trafficking and slavery and have a role to play in combating it. Products that have been produced with forced labour can be found on supermarket shelves throughout Australia. Think about the tuna you had for dinner, was it caught by a fishing boat using forced labour? And what about your pair of jeans, were they made by a child toiling away in a sweat shop somewhere?

While it is difficult to determine exactly what products have been made using exploitative labour, over the past few years pressure from organisations like World Vision has encouraged many companies to clean up their supply chains to make sure they are free from exploitation. For example, in Australia you can now buy ethically certified chocolate, coffee, tea, sports products, footwear and clothing. But more needs to be done. Australian consumers and the Australian Government must encourage businesses to make sure their supply chains - especially ones that go overseas - are transparent, traceable and free from forced labour.

The Australian Government is also considering an Ambassador for Trafficking in Persons for Australia. The appointment is critical in enabling us to play a key role in shaping international and regional policy on the issue, and will show the international community that Australia is committed to combating trafficking.

Sex trafficking and labour trafficking are both horrendous crimes. But if we want to start making headway on the enormous problem of modern-day slavery, it is essential for consumers, governments and businesses around the world to understand and give attention to the fact that a vast majority of trafficking victims are exploited for their labour, rather than exploited in sexual servitude.
 
*Name has been changed for protection.

Opinion Pieces, Human trafficking, Asia and the Pacific, Child Labour, Child Slavery, Human Rights, Human trafficking, Tim Costello

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