Mesures prises:
Australia’s five-year National Action Plan to Combat Modern Slavery 2020–25 (the National Action Plan) underpins the implementation of Australia’s Modern Slavery Act 2018. Australian Red Cross has worked collaboratively with the Australian Government in the implementation of National Action Plan Action including contributing to a review of the Modern Slavery Act 2018 and the Forced Labour Protocol of 2014 (ratified in March 2022) and informing a review of the modern slavery offences in Division 270 and 271 of the Criminal Code.
A grants program was established under the National Action Plan in 2021. Funded by the program, Australian Red Cross launched the Work Right Hub in March 2023. The Work Right Hub, an online platform co-developed by migrants and frontline responders to identify and respond to labour exploitation, now has more than 20,000 users and more than 23,000 visits. Australian Red Cross also developed a tailored training package, designed to equip frontline staff and volunteers across New South Wales (including regional areas) who work with migrants and refugees to identify labour exploitation and respond to concerns and disclosures. Australian Red Cross also contributed to the government’s statutory review of the Commonwealth Modern Slavery Act 2018 via a submission.
The Australian Government launched the Smart Volunteering campaign in March 2018, following a Parliamentary Committee inquiry into establishing a Modern Slavery Act. The campaign was focused on raising awareness to prevent Australians from inadvertently contributing to child exploitation through the practice of orphanage tourism. It discouraged Australians from short-term, unskilled volunteering in overseas orphanages and provided guidelines on how to be a child-safe volunteer. Leveraging this work, between 7 June 2018 and 30 June 2022, the Australian Government funded the Child Safe Volunteering Hub (AUD 2 million). Since 2021, the Australian Government Smarttraveller site has included advice on responsible volunteering.
The Support for Trafficked People Program (Support Program) is a key component of the Australian Government’s anti-human trafficking strategy and the National Action Plan. Since May 2024, Australian Red Cross has worked in partnership with the Australian Government to deliver individualised, responsive and flexible casework support to 714 people from over 69 countries who have been referred to the Support Program by the Australian Federal Police. This has involved close collaboration with the Australian Federal Police and other partner agencies in the Australian Government, specialist support services and the community service sector.
The Australian Government provided AUD 24.3 million in the 2023-24 Budget to deliver the Additional Referral Pathway pilot and enhance the support available through the Support Program. In 2021, Australian Red Cross chaired and provided Secretariat support to the Additional Referral Pathway Working Group formed by civil society organisations, supported by the Australian Government as observers. Australian Red Cross also supported the Australian Government to develop a new specialised forced marriage model of support.
Australian Red Cross and the Australian Government have progressed research in areas where a significant gap or barrier has been identified to inform policy decisions, including:
- Sexual exploitation in Australia: Victim-survivor support needs and barriers to support provision | Australian Institute of Criminology (aic.gov.au)
- Supporting the Dependants of Human Trafficking and Forced Marriage Victims
- barriers-in-accommodating-survivors-of-modern-slavery.pdf (redcross.org.au)
During this period, Australian Red Cross and the Australian Government collaborated on regional and international initiatives such as:
- Official visits from the UN Special Rapporteur on the sale and exploitation of children, United States Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, the Thai Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, and influential representatives from Southeast and South Asia
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)-ASEAN ACT: A Trauma informed approach and the criminal justice process (June 2023): Australian Red Cross presented on pathways to justice and outcomes for victim-survivors.
- Pacific Perspectives: Combating Human Trafficking in the Pacific (June 2023): The Australian Red Cross presented online at the regional conference, hosted by the Australian Attorney-General’s Department in Nadi, Fiji.
- Applying gender-sensitive approaches in combating trafficking in human beings:SCE Peer–to-peer event (July 2022): Australian Red Cross attended with Australian Federal Police. Delegates from Turkey, Jordan, Thailand, Egypt and Israel attended
- International Engagement Strategy on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery (2020): Australian Red Cross provided a written submission to inform the strategy.
- National Roundtable on Human Trafficking and Slavery: In March 2021, the National Roundtable Additional Referral Pathway Working Group (the Working Group) was formed. The working group was co-chaired by the Red Cross.
Work under the National Action Plan to Combat Modern Slavery 2020–25 is ongoing.