The Coalition Government has today released Australia’s second International Engagement Strategy on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery, increasing our strategic cooperation with partners, and strengthening the systems in our region to detect, prevent and respond to these crimes.
We will always shine a light on these abhorrent crimes of coercion and control, which have a life-long impact on survivors and inflict lasting damage on communities. At the end of last year, we also legislated to enable the Government to sanction for serious human rights abuses, such as these crimes.
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the likelihood of people (especially women and children in our region) falling prey to modern slavery, exacerbated by rising instability and aggression, and frequent natural disasters around the world.
Our Government will continue to work with partners on all fronts to protect individual human rights and to bring an end to exploitation in our region and around the world.
Building on existing work, the Strategy also includes funding to support research to address data gaps and provide targeted assistance to Pacific governments to strengthen labour standards and enforcement, particularly in the fisheries sector.
Australia will work through the ASEAN Australia Counter Trafficking program, which is an $80 million commitment until 2028, to counter trafficking in Southeast Asia.
We will also continue to work closely with Co-Chair Indonesia through the important Bali Process to promote and share best practice and emerging policy in supply chain transparency, ethical recruitment and worker remedy.
The Coalition will confront the perpetrators of modern slavery with the costs that they deserve, whoever they are. We have zero tolerance for those who exploit the vulnerable.
