News Release:
Grant helps research into laws against sex slavery
| Date 27/11/03 No 214/03 A $10,000 research grant will help academics at the University of New England study local and international laws against sex slavery and human trafficking. Lecturer Dr Hossein Esmaeili and Associate Lecturer Ms Aileen Kennedy, from UNE’s School of Law, will use the money to further their studies on laws relating to human smuggling and sex slavery. Ms Kennedy said that one issue the research would explore would be that of changing the law to supply illegal immigrants with visas, so they can give evidence about the illegal practice without fear of being deported. The grant, awarded by UNE, comes as the lecturers prepare to present a paper for an international conference, Migrant Labour in South-east Asia: Needed, not Wanted, to be held at the University on December 1 to 3. A total of 24 academics and experts from around the world will present papers addressing the topic of migration at the conference, many looking at migration from South-east Asia and one paper focusing on child trafficking. Ms Kennedy said that one of the difficulties with laws relating to human trafficking was the difficulty in finding witnesses to give evidence. "Some women come to this country knowing they will be involved in prostitution but unaware they will be used as slaves," she said.
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"Anecdotal evidence is patchy, but a problem authorities have is getting these women to provide evidence, apparently because they fear that if they come forth with their tale, they will be deported. So there remains a difficulty in prosecuting." The keynote speaker at the conference, partly sponsored by the UNE Asia Centre and UNE's School of Economics, will be Tessa Morris-Suzuki from the Australian National University. In her paper, "Changing border-control regimes and the impact on migration in Asia", Ms Morris-Suzuki will look at current border controls in the light of the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. These, she will assert, brought about a new phase in border control which "democratises frontiers". Other contributors from overseas include Dr Pratima Paul-Majumder from Bangladesh, whose paper is titled "Problems and prospects of migration of Bangladeshi workers to Singapore and Malaysia and the cost and benefits accruing to migrants". Other countries represented at the conference include Thailand, Malaysia, India and Vietnam. There will be delegates from several Australian universities. The conference conveners are Professor Amarjit Kaur, School of Economics, UNE, on (02) 6773 2874 and Professor Ian Metcalfe, Asia Centre, UNE, on (02) 6773 3499. Media contact: Professor Amarjit Kaur, School of Economics, UNE, Armidale (02) 6773 2874 or Clare Zagami, Public Relations, UNE (02) 6773 3638. |
