3. Victim Support for Those Trafficked

When you see law enforcement ‘busts’ of illegal brothels, or ‘stings’ targeting illegal prostitutes, you don’t think twice that women or man being handcuffed is guilty of their crime. But what if that person has been trafficked and forced to work as a prostitute?

More and more law enforcement agencies around the world are recognising that the guilty person may actually be a victim themselves. On 1 July 2009 the Australian Government implemented changes to the Support for Victims of People Trafficking Program (the Program) and the People Trafficking Visa Framework (the Visa Framework). These changes provide significantly greater support for victims of trafficking and their families in Australia. The majority of government’s around the world provide similar support systems to varying degrees, however many underdeveloped countries do not. It is these countries that also have the greatest incidence of trafficking for sexual purposes, for example India. As mentioned in a previous post by Joshua, countries like India where law enforcement to protect vulnerable individuals is minimal, and so too are its support systems for victims. In these countries victims are dependent on NGO’s (such as free the slaves and not for sale) and any community support networks available. These NGO’s are truly invaluable, providing not only the necessities of life, but a safe environment, education, counselling, medical aid, etc. Moreover, these services are provided long-term, a critical factor in order to effectively rehabilitate those undergone immense trauma.

NGO’s such as the ones listed on the right of our blog are critical for providing victims with the support they need, so please visit their websites.

By Hamish Prosser