The US State Department has urged Australia to “increase efforts to investigate and hold accountable foreign diplomats” in Australia suspected of trafficking. Attorney General Mark Dreyfus announced plans to set aside $8 million over four years to fund the new role of Anti-Slavery Commissioner, which was introduced to Parliament. The commissioner will investigate modern slavery in Australia and overseas, focusing on exploitation such as human trafficking, forced labor, and forced marriages. This announcement comes as the case of a Melbourne couple who allegedly enslaved an elderly woman in their suburban home was recently brought to light.
Angie Yeh Ling Liaw, 29, and Chee Kit Chong, 44, were charged with slavery-related offenses in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court. Court documents show that police allege the couple used coercion and threats to control the alleged victim, who has recently received a terminal diagnosis. Additionally, it was reported that other cases include individuals trafficked into sex work and a young girl at risk of being sent overseas for a forced marriage.
Moreover, the Home Affairs Department has little data on forced marriage in Australia, saying it is hard to detect and under-reported, and has statistics that date back to 2013. Research undertaken by the National Children’s and Youth Law Centre (NCYLC) identified cases of forced child marriage in every state and territory of Australia.
According to the US State Department, in 2022 the Australian government referred 193 cases of suspected trafficking crimes for possible investigation, compared with 150 cases the previous year. Authorities prosecuted 16 alleged traffickers, compared with seven the previous year and continued prosecutions of 47 defendants, including 33 child sex tourists, initiated in prior years.
The Department also urged Australia to “increase efforts to investigate and hold accountable foreign diplomats posted in Australia suspected of complicity in trafficking.” Additionally, the attorney general admitted that “measuring the true extent of modern slavery crimes is challenging” and that the new independent anti-slavery commissioner will complement Australia’s response to modern slavery by working with others to raise the national profile of the issue. The commissioner is expected to be appointed for a five-year term.