Sex slave informant to be deported

By Elisabeth Wynhausen and Natalie O'Brien
January 24, 2005

A Thai sex slave who co-operated with police by naming the traffickers responsible for bringing her to Australia has been locked up in Sydney's Villawood immigration detention centre.

Two years after The Australian began its investigation into the trafficking of sex slaves and a year after the Howard Government responded by changing the law to protect the victims, preparations are in place to deport the woman, putting her in grave danger.

"Julie", 27, gave police the names of traffickers and the address of the house in Sydney where she and other trafficked women were held.

In line with the Government's trafficking package, introduced by Justice Minister Chris Ellison a year ago, Julie was granted a criminal justice visa and given housing and other assistance. But a month after she made her statement to police, Julie was evicted and told she had to leave the country, because her information was not expected to lead to a prosecution.

When she met The Australian recently, Julie said the traffickers had let her know they were looking for her.

Although she was in hiding, she still occasionally worked at a brothel to support herself. When Immigration officials came to the brothel on Thursday, Julie and two other women were detained.

"People thought the trafficking package meant things would change. For many women, it hasn't," says Kathleen Maltzahn of Project Respect, which provides help to trafficked women.

"The process may be different now. But for this woman in Villawood, the outcome is exactly what it used to be - deportation and the risk of reprisals when she goes home."

The Department of Immigration confirmed that three women were picked up in a raid on a brothel last Thursday and put in Villawood. In all, 59 people were detained in raids in Sydney over two days.

Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone said 39 of them had been transferred to Villawood, "where arrangements are being made for their removal from Australia".

While these people are to be deported, those who employed them have been issued with warning notices.

A department spokesman refused to comment.

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