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Trafficking or Forced to Have Sex with Strangers

If you are experiencing an emergency situation or have been attacked by anybody, call 000 immediately. If you have information about a victim of human trafficking, call the Australian Federal Police on 131 AFP (131 237).

Legal Definition of Human Sexual Trafficking

Organised criminal activity in which humans being are treated as possessions to be controlled or exploited (as being forced into prostitution or involuntary labor). First known use: 1904 Source: Merriam Webster Dictionnary, Retrived 11 Dec 2017.

Phone advice

Call the AFP’s National Switchboard on (02) 6131 3000 if you:

  • need help reporting a crime
  • have questions about whether you should report a crime to the AFP

You cannot generally report a crime by phone but AFP will be happy to assist you in making a written report.

 After hours you can call (02) 6126 7777 (the AOCC Watchfloor).

If you or someone else is being sexually abused by trafficking methods, please call immediately The Australian Federal Police.

Even without an Australian Visa, you will be protected. People have commited a crime against you and you won’t be sent back home or punished. We will house you into a secure, safe home, away from your trafficker/’boyfriend’, pimp, manager. 

If in doubt or for support, email info at pinkcross.org.au to discuss your situation.  

How do I report a crime to the AFP?

Report a Commonwealth crime

You can report a Commonwealth crime online by using AFP’s form.

You can also post a written report to your nearest AFP office. Postal addresses for your nearest office can be found at the bottom of this page.

Have you included:

  • Your name
  • Your email address
  • Your phone number
  • Your address
  • Times and dates
  • Locations
  • Names of people, including middle names and dates of birth
  • Facts about the crime

Anonymous information

If you would like to provide anonymous information about any crime (State, Territory or Commonwealth crimes) please phone Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit the Crimestoppers website.

United Nations (UN) definition of trafficking in persons

Trafficking in persons is defined in Article 3a of the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children as:

a) the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs;

(b) The consent of a victim of trafficking in persons to the intended exploitation is irrelevant ;

(c) The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a child for the purpose of exploitation shall be considered “trafficking in persons” even if this does not involve any of the means set forth in subparagraph (a);

(d) “Child” shall mean any person under eighteen years of age.

Source: United Nations, retrieved 11 Dec 2017

I am being Forced to have Sex with Strangers

If you are experiencing an emergency situation or have been attacked by a client or your boyfriend or manager, call 000 immediately. If you have information about a victim of human trafficking, call the Australian Federal Police on 131 AFP (131 237).

We’re here to help you – whoever you are, whatever you do, and wherever you are being forced to work.

If you are located in Melbourne, you can email us at info [@] pinkcross.org.au 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We can come to you in two hours if you are located within a 40km radius of Dandenong.

‘Human trafficking is the business of stealing freedom for profit’

We can help by:

  • Speaking to you via phone, email, or in-person (if located in Victoria).
  • Listening to your story
  • Assessing your needs
  • Providing emotional support in the form of mentoring/coaching
  • Working with you to come up with a plan for what you want to achieve
  • Maintaining regular phone and/or email contact
  • Referring you to specialist organisations, including legal advice, housing, financial management, work readiness programs, social groups, and English-language classes

We base our work on the experience of our founder and sex trade survivor, Geneviève Gilbert. Our work is influenced by the principles of sacrificial love, radical feminist theory, and academic research into the effects of the commodification of human bodies. At Pink Cross Australia, we believe that every human has tremendous value inside and outside.

At Pink Cross, we understand. 

HELP ME

Email: info [@] pinkcross.org.au. Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm AEST.

Email: info[@]pinkcross.org.au. You can download and complete this form and attach it to your email. 


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Forced Marriages and Trafficking Articles

The ‘Spoon-in-your-knickers’ Campaign

Imagine you are 16, currently attending high school, and dreaming of future study plans. You spend your weekends hanging with family and gossiping with friends about your latest crush. Now imagine having all of this ripped away from you. Imagine being separated from your family, being deprived of your education, and being taken away from the only life you’ve ever known. This is the reality of thousands of girls who are forced into marriage every year. 

This practice does not just occur in developing nations, but happens in our own backyard. In 2015-2016 financial year alone the AFP investigated 69 cases of child marriage here in Australia. And this is only the cases that were reported. In Britain it is estimated that between 1500 and 5000 forced marriages occur every year. In an attempt to curb this horrific practice, a UK-based not-for profit named ‘Karma Nirvana’ have taken the innovative approach of helping at-risk girls to notify authorities and escape from their exploiter. Karma Nirvana’s advice is simple and accessible: all the girls need is a spoon. 

They advise girls who are being forced into marriages or who are facing trafficking situations to place a metal spoon in their underwear. When the women goes through airport security and the metal is detected the girl will be escorted to a private area for the source of the metal to be investigated. This provides them an opportunity to be disclose what is happening and potentially prevent their own trafficking.

Human trafficking violates human dignity and we need to do all we can to prevent it. We applaud Karma Nirvana for their innovative approach, and hope to see a world where spoons no longer need to be placed in underwear because the control of girls and women in forced marriages and human sexual trafficking no longer exists. 

Above: Adapted from The Guardians  Women who fear being forced to marry abroad told to hide spoon in underwear | Photo Credit ©: Shatabai Roy from Unsplash

First Published: October 2018 Enewsletter

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