Human Trafficking Forum - The Reality in Australia

Co-hosted by the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law and the Young Lawyer's Section of the Law Institute of Victoria

Wednesday 12 December 2007

Human Trafficking is a global crime that recognises neither borders nor dignity. Statistics are unreliable, but an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across national borders each year, the majority into commercial sexual exploitation. Despite Australia's significant advances in addressing trafficking, Australia remains a destination country for Human Trafficking and victims here have limited access to protection, rehabilitation and immigration support. This forum will embark on a one hour enlightening discussion on the immigration issues and challenges faced by victims of trafficking.

Welcome
Professor Susan Kneebone, Deputy Director, Castan Centre for Human Rights Law
Professor Kneebone is currently working on an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant in conjunction with Professor Bernadette McSherry, Faculty of Law, Monash University and Dr Julie Debeljak, Deputy Director, Castan Centre for Human Rights Law.  Their research is based on 'Australia's response to trafficking in women: A model for the regulation of forced migration in the Asia Pacific region?'

Moderator
Jennifer Burn, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Law at University of Technology Sydney and Director UTS Community Law Centre & Anti-Slavery Project
As an immigration lawyer, Jennifer has worked in public interest law in community legal centres for over 10 years and is currently working on an Australian Research Council Grant in respect of people-smuggling.  In 2004 she was awarded the UTS Vice-Chancellor's Social Justice Medal for her anti-human trafficking work and in 2005 received the Law and Justice Foudation Justice Award for Community Legal Centres for her advocacy in the area of anti-trafficking.  In 2005 Jennifer founded the UTS Anti-Slavery Project with Jenny Stanger.

Panelists
His Honour Judge Michael McInerney of the County Court
Judge McInerney was appoint a Judge of the County Court in 1994.  His Honour is the Judge in charge of the Assets Confiscation List at the County Court relevant to both State and Commonwealth applications.  For ten years, His Honour was the Chairman of the Technology Committee of the Court and has spoken at both interstate and international conferences to that topic and he is a member of the County Court Executive of the Judges Council.  His Honour sat as the presiding Judge upon the first two trials concerning slavery offences under the Commonwealth Criminal Code 1995 to take place in Australia.  The first trial resulted in a hung jury; the second resulted in a conviction which was overturned by the Court of Appeal, R v Wei Tang [2007] VSCA 134.  Such determination is currently subject to a leave application to appeal the matter to the High Court by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.

Marie Segrave, School of Political & Social Inquiry, Monash University
Marie Segrave is a Criminology lecturer and has recently successfully completed her doctoral studies, which focused on examining the implementation of the Australian response to people trafficking.  Prior to her doctoral studies she was a researcher with the Australian Institute of Criminology.

Christine Carolan, Executive Officer, Sisters of the Good Shepherd social justice network and Executive Director of the Australian Catholic Religious Against Human Trafficking (ACRATH)
The social justice network is involved in anti trafficking advocacy and education; it also works to support trafficked women in Australia and in several Asian countries.  The network promotes fair trade as one response to address the poverty that is a push factor in human trafficking.  Christine's anti trafficking work has also meant working on UN and federal government lobbying with ACRATH. The main aim of this lobbying is to ensure that all people found to have been trafficked into Australia are offered a visa that enables them to begin their healing in Australia.

Sharon Watts, Director, Department of Immigration and Citizenship
Sharon Watts is a public servant with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship in Canberra.  She has experience working across a range of areas within the Department and is currently the Director of the Section responsible for trafficking in persons issues, including the visa framework, policy development and training.

Venue: Monash University Law Chambers, 472 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Date: Wednesday 12 December 2007
Time: Forum 6 to 7 pm; Light refreshments 7 to 7.30 pm
RSVP: castan.centre@law.monash.edu.au or tel 9905 3327
Free public event - all welcome