WUNRN
AUSTRALIA - STUDY FINDS WOMEN
TRAFFICKING VICTIMS, SEX SLAVES, NEED MORE SERVICES & SUPPORT
Schofield,
T., Hepworth, J., Jones, M. & Schofield, E. (2012). Health and community
services for trafficked women: An exploratory study of policy and practice. Australian
Journal of Social Issues, 46, 4: 391-410.
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University of Queensland - Australia
Australia
- Study Finds Trafficked Women Need More Support
A
study has found that trafficked women in the Greater Sydney region lacked
access to a breadth of health and community services, as there was a national
focus on border protection and criminalisation rather than human rights.
The collaborative study between The University of Queensland (UQ) and The
University of Sydney involved interviews with key informants from NGOs and
government organisations and policy analysis from 2007 to 2012.
The study found services for trafficked women have been sparse, uncoordinated
and poorly funded.
Co-researcher, Associate Professor Julie Hepworth of UQ's Centre for
Primary Health Care Research, said the biggest obstacles have been the
focus on border protection and the criminalisation of trafficking of people
into Australia.
Associate Professor Hepworth said the main government service provision, at the
time this study was conducted, made services available to individuals who were
willing to co-operate with the Australian Federal Police in their
investigations of allegations of trafficking but that has improved and since
2009 cooperation is no longer a condition to receive services.
She said the service primary goal was to pursue and convict the trafficker.
“Individuals who did co-operate, however, were at risk themselves of being
charged with immigration violations and NGOs reported women feared they would
be held in detention centres and/or deported,” Associate Professor Hepworth
said.
“These women are fearful of accessing services because of immigration
violations and disclosure of their identity in Australia and in their home
countries.
“The Government approach is to develop services to help woman be reintegrated
back in their country – but a major need is trauma counseling.
“Government services tend to be more focused on border protection rather than
human rights, where NGO services viewed these women as having a range of health
and support needs and tried to meet these with few resources.”
Associate Professor Hepworth said government services needed to better
co-ordinate with NGOs in providing trauma counseling, dental care, a full range
of health services and an improvement in service provision for these women.
“There needs to be increased understanding as to how the women became
trafficked to begin with,” she said.
“Many have been forced or tricked into being trafficked in the sex industry
from a young age and have no knowledge of anything else.
“They also fear deportation because they face being ostracized by their home
communities.”
Associate Professor Hepworth said about 1-2000 women mostly from Asia were
trafficked in Australia every year and largely worked within Melbourne and
Sydney's sex industry.
The study involved the views from medical organisations, a law enforcement
agent, sexual clinics, two women health centres and a division of women's
health policy.
The study was published in August 2012 in an edition of the Australian Journal
of Social Issues (Volume 46 Number 4 2011).
Since 2005, Australia has been a signatory of the 2000 United Nations Protocol
to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and
Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational
Organised Crime.