By Peter Veness, AAP
October 23, 2009, 6:10 pm
Almost all people trafficked into Australia are forced into the sex industry, a new report reveals.
Fully 95 per cent of trafficking victims were females made to work as prostitutes, and most came from Southeast Asia.
Australian Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor responded to the report from the Australian Institute of Criminology by saying much was being done to combat people trafficking from Asia and the Pacific.
"Australia has adopted a whole-of-government response to people trafficking which includes a national policing strategy and specialist police investigation teams, enhanced visa arrangements, a victim support program and regional cooperation efforts," Mr O'Connor said in a statement.
The report said not enough was known about trafficking and more research was required.
"It is widely recognised in crime statistics that a significant number of incidents go unreported," the report said.
"Once a crime is reported to authorities, further legal and non-legal considerations result in fewer cases being investigated.
"This process of attrition also applies to trafficking cases, few of which are thought to reach the attention of authorities due to low rates of reporting and the hidden nature of this type of crime."
Between 2004 and 2008, 34 people were charged with trafficking offences but of them only seven were convicted.
"This is an era of unprecedented global migration and Australia's strong socio-economic position, with plentiful job opportunities in low-skilled sectors, means we remain a potential trafficking destination, but our strong border controls and law enforcement continue to mitigate that risk," Mr O'Connor said.
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