Anti-Slavery Project - University of Technology, Sydney
In 2005 Senior Lecturer Jennifer Burn and Jennifer Stanger began the Anti-Slavery Project (ASP) at UTS, Sydney. The ASP was the first organisation of its kind in Australia dedicated solely to eliminating all forms of human trafficking and slavery.
The projects strategy was to implement a comprehensive approach that not only addressed the immediate needs and concerns of victims but also the underlying roots of their exploitation. By linking the symptoms of human trafficking and slavery to foreign, economic and migration policy and workers rights, ASP sought to address its prevention.
To establish this project Jennifer applied for a grant from the Mary Potter Trust Foundation. The application was successful - $15,000 of seed funding to get them up and running.
Jennifer began to bring community agencies together and the Community Response Network Partner Agreements was formed
Since then the project has expanded its work and the Anti-Slavery Project is now involved in
- research: by linking with other international bodies to assess Australia’s current anti-trafficking policy in comparison with other countries. This will provide a basis for ASP’s future law reform agenda.
- community education: through the establishment of a dynamic website, community outreach personations and media advocacy.
- law reform: through submissions to the Dept. of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs on the flaws in the current visa system,
- international advocacy by working with women religious to present a submission on law reform to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in January 2006.
- policy development: by partnering with Aust. Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans in lobbying the Federal Government Parliamentarians to tackle the issues of trafficking humans.,
- representation of people who have been trafficked
- volunteer court room observers who provide support to trafficked and enslaved persons as they participate in criminal proceedings against their traffickers.
Within the Community Response Network an agency in Sydney has now taken on the responsibility to house and support women who are applying for permanent visas.
Presently Jennifer and associates are working on a National consensus policy document and on July 24/25, 2008 there will be an Australian Trafficking Forum bringing together NGO’s and government departments.
To learn more about this project or if you wish to support the expanding work please visit . www.antislavery.org.au