Domestic and overseas workers in Australia have been told to take precautions against forced labour and exploitation due to a sharp increase in reported crimes.
Forced labour occurs when people are coerced, threatened, or deceived into working against their will and are not allowed to quit and leave their employment.
A person can also be a victim of forced labour if he or she is subject to physical and psychological abuse, poor working conditions or debt bondage–a situation in which an employee believes they owe their employer a large debt and must work to pay it off.
AFP Commander Helen Schneider cited visa status, lack of knowledge about Australian worker rights, cultural barriers, and social isolation as the reasons why migrant workers fell victim to forced labour.
Ms. Schneider also noted that some sectors, such as agriculture, construction, hospitality and manufacturing, had the highest risk of forced labour and exploitation.
“Seasonal work in Australia includes a range of legitimate jobs such as deckhands, fruit pickers and packers, farmhands, labourers, and vineyard workers,” she said.
“Unfortunately, criminals do take advantage and exploit workers looking for temporary work.
“As demand for seasonal and casual workers increases during the warmer months, we urge individuals to be aware of the indicators of forced labour and ask their employers to provide appropriate documentation and contracts before accepting job offers.”
The man coerced a migrant worker to work 14 hours a day at a confectionery business for two consecutive years using threats of deportation.
AFP Urges Witnesses to Report Forced Labour Crimes
Due to the seriousness of the issue, Ms. Schneider called on people who witnessed forced labour to report the crime, saying it was an important step to ensure the safety of victims.“Some victims of forced labour may view their new working conditions as preferable to those in their country of origin–even though the conditions are extremely exploitative,” she said.
“This means some victims may feel unwilling or unable to report crimes out of fear of retribution by perpetrators, social isolation and financial dependence on offenders.”
The commander also stated that the AFP would work with state and territory law enforcement agencies and non-government organisations to combat forced labour and exploitation.
The report found that the number of modern slaves in Australia had doubled since 2018, raising alarm about the exploitation of workers in the country.
On average, there were 1.6 cases of slavery per 1,000 people in Australia, which was the second lowest rate in the Asia-Pacific region and behind Japan.
