INTHEBLACK February 2024 - Magazine - Page 28
Craig Hastings/Moment Unreleased via Getty Images
F E AT U R E
Above left: Forced
labour is thought
to be particularly
prevalent in the
cleaning and
hospitality industries.
Above right: It is
important to look for
modern slavery red
flags in the supply
chain, such as whether
fee-for-labour-hire
agencies engaged by
a company are seizing
the passports of their
migrant workers.
28 INTHEBLACK February 2024
WARNING SIGNS
Of the 294 reports of human trafficking or
slavery in the 2021–22 financial year made to
the AFP, 42 were about forced labour.
According to Walk Free, forced labour
largely occurs in industries such as agriculture,
construction, domestic work, cleaning,
hospitality, meat processing and food services.
Many of these industries rely on migrant
workers who enter Australia on temporary
visas, where the risk of being exploited and
not paid properly can occur, Viljoen says.
“There have been reports of people coming
to Australia to work with false promises of
pathways to citizenship, only to get locked into
situations that they can’t get out of,” he says.
In Australia, modern slavery tends to be
prevalent in sectors where there is a service
that relies on cheap labour, says Amy Sinclair,
human rights lawyer and regional representative
for Australia, New Zealand and Pacific with the
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre.
“People’s starting point with modern
slavery is often that it’s something that
happens offshore – that goods are coming
into Australia from countries where there are
sweatshops, and that it’s not a problem here.
“We know this is not the case, and we
see it in several sectors, including those that
use personal services such as nail bars, car
washing, cleaning and hospitality. Community
members and indeed business owners really
need to be vigilant and have their eyes open,”
Sinclair says.
“Things to look out for would be whether the
workers seem scared or reluctant to engage in
some way. Do they seem to be poorly kempt?
Is there evidence that people have been sleeping
or spending extended periods of time on the
premises of the business?” she says.
Other indicators to look out for include how
the workers are housed and transported.
“You might see groups of workers being bused
to and from places of work – often getting
dropped off and picked up at strange times.
“They also might be having to pay labour
recruiters and providers really high prices for
substandard food and the cost of transport to
