Human Trafficking in [New Zealand Street Children in [New Zealand] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [New Zealand] [other countries] |
Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery In the
first ten years of the 21st Century -
2000 to 2009
New Zealand is a source country for underage girls
trafficked internally for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. It
is also reportedly a destination country for women from Hong Kong, Thailand, Taiwan,
the People’s Republic of China, Eastern Europe, and other Asian countries
trafficked into forced prostitution. Unskilled Asians and Pacific Islanders
migrate to New Zealand voluntarily to work legally or illegally in the
agricultural sector, and women from the Philippines migrate legally to work
as nurses. Some of these workers report that manpower agencies placed them in
positions of involuntary servitude or debt bondage by charging them
escalating and unlimited recruiting fees, imposing unjustified salary
deductions on them, restricting their travel by confiscating their passports,
and significantly altering contracts or working conditions without their
agreement. - U.S. State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report, June, 2009 [full country report] |
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CAUTION: The following links have been
culled from the web to illuminate the situation in ***
FEATURED ARTICLE *** www.justice.govt.nz/publications/global-publications/p/protecting-our-innocence/child-trafficking www.courts.govt.nz/pubs/reports/2002/protect-innocence/chapter-4.html CHILD TRAFFICKING TO The New Zealand Police estimate
that there are over 500 Thai women in the sex industry in Auckland alone. However,
it is impossible to determine how many of them are under 18 years of age, and
thus, inherently able to be considered to have been victims of trafficking.
There are many obstacles that prevent trafficked children from coming to the
attention of the police or other authorities. The majority of the girls are
under constant surveillance by their traffickers. In addition, they may fear
the police or believe that they will be in trouble with New Zealand
authorities. The Human Rights Commission has received a number of telephone
calls from health personnel reporting incidents of Thai girls, under 18 years
of age, seeking medical attention, who had been subjected to sexual violence.
However, by the time the Police have become involved it has been discovered that
the addresses given are false or the girls have been moved to a new location. ***
ARCHIVES *** Bur of Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor - Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005 TRAFFICKING
IN PERSONS –
Commercial sexual exploitation of children was a problem. Under the
Prostitution Reform Act, it is illegal to use a person under 18 years of age
in prostitution. A study by the PLRC completed in April 2004 estimated that
approximately 200 young persons under the age of 18 were working as
prostitutes. During the year 3 brothel operators and 1 client were prosecuted
for the use of persons under age 18 in prostitution. The client and two of
the brothel operators were convicted, and one operator was awaiting trial at
year's end. The government worked with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
to address trafficking in children and provided funding for NGO outreach
programs in Shakti Migrant Services Trust, an
anti-trafficking NGO, reported abuses resulting from the immigration of
Indian women for arranged marriages and provided services to abused women
through four refuges located in three cities: UN
expert warns NZ over human trafficking problem Human trafficking is probably far
more prevalent in New Zealand than most people realise,
says Sigma Huda, the United Nations' first special
rapporteur on human trafficking. Most
people thought of human trafficking as forcibly smuggling women across
borders to work as prostitutes, she said, but it was much broader than that.
It could also count among its victims mail-order brides - "you have lots
of ads for those in New Zealand" - migrant workers, foreign fishermen
and those in arranged marriages. While
people could enter such situations quite willingly, said Mrs
Huda, they could lose their autonomy and freedom,
become trapped, and become trafficked. New Zealand Rubbishes US Claims Of Child Trafficking www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3236096a11,00.html A US State Department report made
the allegation last month - for the second time in a year - despite claims it
had misrepresented prostitution data. Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff was
scathing about the statement. "If the United States were to judge itself
by the same standards it is applying to New Zealand, it would be found to be
wanting," Goff said. "Of course we don't have a problem in trafficking
in children." The Protection Project - New Zealand [DOC] FORMS OF TRAFFICKING - Trafficking to New Zealand may
be a relatively small problem, but it is a growing one. The Human Rights Commission has received a
number of telephone calls from health personnel reporting incidents of Thai
girls younger than 18 years of age who had been subjected to sexual violence. Thai women forced into prostitution in New
Zealand work more than 12 hours a day and are coerced into having unsafe sex.
They have little or no access to information about their legal rights or
health issues. Freedom
House Country Report - Political Rights: 1 Civil Liberties: 1 Status: Free US report on NZ challenged www.ecpat.net/eng/ECPAT_news/US%20report%20on%20NZ%20challenged%20.htm At one time this article had been archived
and may possibly still be accessible [here]
Child
advocacy group says US has taken its report out of context by claiming NZ has
serious problem with child trafficking. www.justice.govt.nz/publications/global-publications/p/protecting-our-innocence/child-trafficking www.courts.govt.nz/pubs/reports/2002/protect-innocence/chapter-4.html CHILD TRAFFICKING TO The New Zealand Police estimate
that there are over 500 Thai women in the sex industry in Auckland alone.
However, it is impossible to determine how many of them are under 18 years of
age, and thus, inherently able to be considered to have been victims of
trafficking. There are many obstacles that prevent trafficked children from
coming to the attention of the police or other authorities. The majority of
the girls are under constant surveillance by their traffickers. In addition,
they may fear the police or believe that they will be in trouble with New
Zealand authorities. The Human Rights Commission has received a number of
telephone calls from health personnel reporting incidents of Thai girls,
under 18 years of age, seeking medical attention, who had been subjected to
sexual violence. However, by the time the Police have become involved it has
been discovered that the addresses given are false or the girls have been
moved to a new location. Human
trafficking: Asia's persistent tragedy For its part, New Zealand is being
used by traffickers of Thai women as a "departure point for Japan,
Australia and Cyprus", stated the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women
for Asia-Pacific, a non-governmental organization. All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107 for noncommercial,
nonprofit, and educational use. PLEASE
RESPECT COPYRIGHTS OF COMPONENT ARTICLES.
Cite this webpage as: Patt, Prof. Martin,
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Human Trafficking in [New Zealand Street Children in [New Zealand] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [New Zealand] [other countries]