Human Trafficking

Actions taken:

There has been consistent and significant progress and momentum in this area to date, facilitated by a strong working relationship between Australian Red Cross, the Department of Social Services (DSS), Home Affairs and the Attorney General’s Department. As a service provider on the Support for Trafficked People Program (STPP) as well as a member of the National Roundtable on Human Trafficking and Slavery (civil society and Government agencies include the Attorney General’s Department, DSS, Home Affairs and DFAT), we have drawn on our expertise, experience and data to improve support for people engaged in the program, develop services and response, and inform policy in the following areas:

Collaboration and reports:

• Australian Red Cross and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) have worked together to deliver a range of training on human trafficking and slavery indicators. In May 2017, the Attorney General’s Department has launched a new nationwide series of workshops (including Australian Red Cross as a panellist) on forced marriage to be run nationwide in recognition of Australian Red Cross and sector advocacy for more sustained awareness building and to share learnings on the current response. Australian Red Cross has also participated in the delivery of the Human Trafficking Investigators Course on numerous occasions, through delivering a session on the STPP.
• Australian Red Cross also presented to international delegations from Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia during their visits to Australia, and presented at a DFAT-led forum on forced marriage in Indonesia.
• The Labour Exploitation Working Group (Working Group) was established to inquire into and provide recommendations to the Australian Government on strengthening Australia’s response to serious forms of labor exploitation in Australia. Based on their findings, the civil society members of the Working Group, including Australian Red Cross have developed 27 recommendations for the Australian Government’s consideration. The Report was endorsed by the National Roundtable on Human Trafficking and Slavery.
• Australian Red Cross developed a number of reports for the National Roundtable on Human Trafficking and Slavery, in order to help improve the response to these issues in Australia to better meet humanitarian need, including:
  • Australian Response to Forced Marriage: Exploring gaps, challenges and opportunities for change (August 2017)
  • Forced Marriage: Community Voices, Stories & Strategies (Consultation with Communities)(August 2018)
  • Human Trafficking and Slavery: Exploring challenges and opportunities to improve identification of and support for people subjected to trafficking in regional Australia (August 2018)
• Australian Red Cross made a number of submissions to various government agencies to improve the response to both human trafficking and forced marriage in Australia to better meet humanitarian need, including:
  • Australian Government Joint Parliamentary Committee Law Enforcement Act 2010 – Inquiry into Human Trafficking;
  • Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade’s: Inquiry into Establishing a Modern Slavery Act in Australia;
  • Australian Government Migrant Intake into Australia Inquiry;
  • The NSW Government’s Legislative Select Committee on Human Trafficking: Inquiry into Human Trafficking;
  • The NSW Governments Legislative Council’s Standing Committee on Social Issues Inquiry into the NSW Modern Slavery Act and other matters.

• During 2019, Australian Red Cross was invited by the Home Affairs to participate in a consultation regarding developing draft guidance for reporting entities under the new Modern Slavery Act and Australian Red Cross also provided written feedback to Home Affairs on this guidance
• During 2019, Australian Red Cross was invited by the New South Wales Government to participate in a consultations regarding the NSW Modern Slavery Act.

Policy change:

• Following extended engagement by many stakeholders, including Australian Red Cross’ STPP team, the Australian Government has passed the Modern Slavery Bill in November 2018. The bill will significantly contribute to the protection of people who are at risk of or have experienced human trafficking or severe labour exploitation.
• The Australian Government invited Australian Red Cross to deliver and evaluate a Forced Marriage Support Stream Trial to better support people at risk or impacted by Forced Marriage from July to June 2019. In recognition that initial findings of the trial indicated this model to be an effective change, the original 12 months phase of the trial was extended to 18 months, ending in December 2020.
• Australian Red Cross worked with an external consultant to evaluate the original 12 months of the Forced Marriage Support Stream Trial and delivered a Final Evaluation Report, along with a Red Cross cover letter and Australian Red Cross recommendations to the National Roundtable in September 2019.
• The Department of Home Affairs announcement its intentions to develop Forced Marriage Protection Order, and invited Red Cross to participate in consultation on this in FY20.
• Australian Red Cross participated in a review of the National Action Plan 2015-2019, led by the Australian Institute of Criminology.
• Following the development of a proposal by Australian Red Cross, DSS, the AFP and Home Affairs reached agreement with Australian Red Cross to consider how to introduce an additional referral pathway into the program, to ensure people who may be fearful or unwilling to engage with AFP can access support.

Awareness raising:

• Home Affairs funded Australian Red Cross to deliver the project Reducing Risk, Raising Resilience: Prevention of Modern Slavery in Regional Australia to hold capacity building sessions for frontline workers and facilitating awareness raising sessions with migrant workers and their communities in the Northern Territory and Tasmania.
• Australian Red Cross also self-funded a strategic initiative to expand this work into regional areas in Queensland and New South Wales.
• Through these projects, Australian Red Cross developed a range of capacity building and awareness raising materials including in various languages as well as an e-learning module for Red Cross staff.

Implementation completion: