One Just World is a national series of free, after-work forums on global poverty and development featuring high-profile international and Australian speakers. It is sponsored by AusAID, World Vision and the International Women's Development Agency. Details for the next forum are as follows:
Title: Human Trafficking and World Poverty
Date: Monday 11 May 2009
Venue: Conservatorium Theatre, Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Russell Street Southbank
Time: 5.30pm for 6.00pm to 7.30pm
Human trafficking and slavery are problems of global proportions, driven by poverty, unsafe migration and the neglect of human rights standards. It is a crime that has risen to become the third most profitable transnational organized crime, after drugs and arms.
Tens of millions of people around the globe are enslaved in forced labour, bonded labour, sexual servitude and involuntary servitude at any given time. To date most legislation, research, projects and prosecution cases have focused on trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation, while human trafficking for other exploitative purposes have not been given much attention.
Human trafficking and slavery occurs in our neighbourhood and affects women and children - as well as men, who are often ignored in domestic legislation. In South and South East Asia, these problems are particularly acute. Trafficking victims are often considered to be illegal migrants and so are detained, fined and deported with little regard to their human rights.
How can Australia take the lead to prevent human trafficking, protect survivors and bring the perpetrators to justice?
Speakers
The Hon Duncan Kerr, Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs.
Patricia Mulhall is the National Coordinator of UNANIMA International and Brigidine sister.
Based in the UK, she has worked in international development for over two decades. She is national coordinator of UNANIMA International, a coalition of 16 congregations of women's religious groups committed to the charter of the United Nations for the economic and social advancement of all peoples. Its aim is to stop the demand for women and children for sexual exploitation.
Matthew Friedman is the regional project manager for UNIAP – the United Nations Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region. UNIAP is managed by a headquarters in Bangkok, with country project offices in the capitals of Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam. The seven UNIAP offices have a combined staff of approximately 30. While UNIAP is a UN inter-agency project, UNIAP receives financial support from its own bilateral and multilateral funding and not from UN agencies, allowing it to retain a neutral position within the UN that serves all UN agencies, governments, and NGOs equally. It is the only inter-agency coordinating body on human trafficking of its kind within the United Nations system.