Tom Reilly, Anne Davies, Maris Beck
October 8, 2011A TASKFORCE of police and immigration inspectors have raided Sydney brothels in the past month as part of a wide investigation into Asian women being trafficked into the sex industry.
Properties in Gladesville and Eastwood were targeted by a team of 18 investigators in a night operation on September 22. Both businesses - where at least 15 women worked - are suspected to have links to an organised crime gang based in Hong Kong.
The raids, which are part of an ongoing inquiry, come as figures obtained by the Herald show the issue of trafficking is a particular problem in NSW.
Raids ... brothels have been raided in Sydney in what has been described as a wide investigation into Asian women trafficking. Photo: Reuters
Of the 148 women in a federal government support program for those trafficked into the sex industry in Australia since 2004, 119 (80 per cent) have been discovered in this state.
However, those numbers are believed to be only the tip of an iceberg, with most women being kept as sex slaves or in debt bondage - a practice where women are forced to work as prostitutes until a large sum is paid off - going unreported. Other victims identified by police choose to leave Australia immediately.
The federal Minister for Women, Kate Ellis, who oversees the government's program for victims, admitted trafficking was ''a crime that goes unreported, undetected far too often''.
She told the Herald this week: ''We don't know whether the problem is growing or we are just being more effective in finding victims, but we do know we are coming across more and more women that are being trafficked into the sex industry. ''The majority of the Australian population would be shocked if they knew that human trafficking was occurring not just in our nation, but often in our neighbourhoods.
''This is one of those issues that Australians don't like to think about … But it is really important that we open our eyes.''
An Australian Federal Police commander, Chris McDevitt, who spoke to the ABC's Four Corners as part of a joint investigation with the Herald, said trafficking was an issue his force was trying to address.
''The more that we look, the more that we find,'' he said.
''Since we've started out in 2003 we've now had 305 investigations or assessments of human trafficking in Australia, and out of that we've had 184 victims - and that's 184 victims way too many. So it's very important that we address this, and the AFP are right onto it.''
He said that most people trafficked to Australia are sent to work in brothels.
''About 70 per cent of those victims are women for sexual exploitation, sexual servitude and the other 30 per cent for labour trafficking,'' Mr McDevitt said.
Last month's operation was part of a crackdown on brothels and massage parlours being led by an inter-agency taskforce supported by a specialist local government investigator.
At the licensed brothel in Gladesville one male employee in his late 20s, who was wanted by police in relation to several crimes as well as bail breaches, was taken into custody.
During the raid at the illegal brothel in Eastwood, another man in his late 20s was arrested for possession of drugs, while a large quantity of suspected amphetamines were also found on the site on Rowe Street.
That brothel has now been closed.
The Herald understands officials from the Department of Immigration are trying to establish whether women working at both properties are the victims of trafficking or debt bondage.
• Tip-off the AFP about sex slavery or human trafficking on– 131 AFP (free call)
Related articles
- Sex slave boss threatened to pour boiling water down girl's throat - The Daily Record (trafficking-monitor.blogspot.com)
- Human trafficking in New Zealand? | News Video (trafficking-monitor.blogspot.com)
- AFP: Thai police say 71 freed in trafficking raid (trafficking-monitor.blogspot.com)
- The rage that doesn't go away (theage.com.au)
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