Modern slavery in Australia
In Australia, the Global Slavery Index (2021) estimated that approximately 41,000 people live in modern slavery. This is 1.6 per 1,000 people in the country.
What is known about modern slavery is limited to cases which are reported to law enforcement. In the 2022/23 financial year, the Australian Federal Police received 340 reports of modern slavery offences, representing a 16% increase compared to the 2021/22 financial year. Of the 340 of the modern slavery reports, 90 (26%) were for forced marriage, 90 (26%) were for trafficking, and 73 (21%) were for sexual exploitation (AFP, 2023). While this represents the highest number of annual reports ever received, a 2019 estimate undertaken by the AIC suggests that for every 1 person that is identified, 4 are unidentified, meaning that what we know about modern slavery in Australia is incomplete. The estimated 41,000 cases of modern slavery in Australia suggest that the issue remains underreported.
The Australian Institute of Criminology's report, Estimating the dark figure of human trafficking and slavery victimisation in Australia, highlights the challenges in accurately determining the prevalence of modern slavery within the country. Using a method called multiple systems estimation (MSE), which analyses overlaps in various data sources, the study estimated that between 1,300 and 1,900 individuals were victims of human trafficking and slavery in Australia during the 2015–16 and 2016–17 periods. This suggests that for every known victim, there may be approximately four others who remain undetected.
These findings underscore the hidden nature of modern slavery and the difficulties in uncovering its true extent. Factors such as the clandestine operations of traffickers, victims' fear of authorities, and challenges in victim identification contribute to significant underreporting. While official statistics provide some insight, they likely represent only a fraction of the actual situation (Lyneham, Dowling & Bricknell 2019).
At a glance: forms of modern slavery
Forced labour
Coerced or deceptive work, often involving threats, withheld wages, passport confiscation (Australian Government 2024; AIC 2024).
Prevalence: Accounts for 18% of AFP- reported modern slavery cases (AIC 2024).
Debt bondage
Work required to repay hidden or inflated debts – common in hospitality, agriculture, cleaning (Australian Government 2024; OHCHR 2016).
Prevalence: Recognised globally as the most widespread form of forced labour (OHCHR 2016).
Human trafficking
Recruitment, transport or harbouring for exploitation through force, coercion or deception (AIC 2024).
Prevalence: Represents 21% of cross-border trafficking cases in AFP data (AIC 2024).
Forced marriage
Marriage without full free consent or understanding due to age, cognition or other vulnerabilities or involving a child under the age of 16 (AIC 2024).
Prevalence: Most reported form in Australia - 31% of AFP cases (AIC 2024; AIHW 2024).
Servitude
Extreme control, restrictions on freedom, degrading conditions (AusBanking 2022; Australian Government 2024).
Prevalence: Frequently overlaps with forced labour/trafficking; often underreported (AusBanking 2022).
Deceptive recruitment
Misleading recruitment practices about jobs and conditions (AusBanking 2022; Australian Government 2024).
Prevalence: A hidden driver of trafficking and debt bondage (AusBanking 2022).
Child exploitation
Involves children in forced labour or sexual exploitation (AusBanking 2022; AIHW 2024).
Prevalence: An emerging concern - lacks systematic reporting (AIHW 2024; AusBanking 2022).
Notes
Australian Banking Association. (2022) Typologies and indicators of modern slavery – Edition 1, March 2022. Sydney: Australian Banking Association. Available at: https://www.ausbanking.org.au/report/typologies-and-indicators-of-modern-slavery-2022/
Australian Government 2024, Types of modern slavery, Modern Slavery website, https://www.modernslavery.gov.au/about-modern-slavery/types-modern-slavery
Australian Institute of Criminology (2024) Findings from the Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery National Minimum Dataset Pilot, July to December 2022. Statistical Report 48. Canberra: AIC. doi:10.52922/sr77703.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2024) Modern slavery – family, domestic and sexual violence ‘topic’. Available at: https://www.aihw.gov.au/family-domestic-and-sexual-violence/types-of-violence/modern-slavery
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) 2016, Report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences (A/HRC/33/46), United Nations, Geneva, https://docs.un.org/en/A/HRC/33/46.