The Federal Government is seeking public comment on draft legislation that will see forced marriage and slavery-like practices become a crime.

 

“It is vital that Australia has the most robust and effective framework possible to respond to slavery and people trafficking, and I am confident that this proposed legislation will achieve that,” Minister for Home Affairs and Justice Brendan O’Connor said.

 

Developed following extensive public consultations, the Crimes Legislation Amendment (Slavery, Slavery like Conditions and People Trafficking) Bill 2012 will aim to help ensure the broadest range of exploitative behaviour is captured and criminalised, including by:

  • introducing a new offence of forced labour
  • introducing a new offence which applies where a person harbours or receives a victim of trafficking or slavery
  • introducing new offences of forced marriage
  • ensuring the slavery offence applies to conduct which renders a person a slave, as well as conduct involving a person who is already a slave
  • extending the application of the existing offences of deceptive recruiting and sexual servitude so they apply to non-sexual servitude and all forms of deceptive recruiting
  • increasing the penalties applicable to the existing debt bondage offences, to ensure they are in line with the serious nature of the offences, and
  • improving the availability of reparations to victims.

 

Copies of the draft legislation and the Community Resource are available on the Attorney-General’s Department website at www.ag.gov.au/peopletrafficking.

 

Public comment on the amendments close on 13 January, 2012.