HumanTrafficking.org | Australia Government Agency: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

A web resource for combating human trafficking

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Australia

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Address

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
R G Casey Building
John McEwen Crescent
Barton, ACT, 0221
Australia

Contact Information

If calling from Australia:

Tel: 02 6261 1111
Fax: 02 6261 3111

If calling from overseas:

Tel: +61 2 6261 1111
Fax: +61 2 6261 3111

Website

http://www.dfat.gov.au

Activities

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade manages Australia’s international efforts to co-ordinate and improve the fight against trafficking in persons.

The Australian Government is at the forefront of regional efforts to combat trafficking in persons and people smuggling. Australia and Indonesia have co-chaired the two Bali Regional Ministerial Conferences on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime.

The Government has been using the networks developed by the Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime and Australia’s Ambassador for People Smuggling Issues to pursue enhanced regional cooperation, particularly between operational agencies, to combat trafficking in persons.

Australia has been a strong participant in the activities taking place as part of this process. Work has focused on capacity building, legislative reform, border management, public awareness and information sharing. Australia has also worked with China to produce model legislation designed to assist countries to draft domestic laws criminalising trafficking in persons. Some 17 Bali Process countries have now criminalised people trafficking.

This year Australia also had the honour to chair the United Nations Human Rights Commission, where our determination to address the problem of trafficking was conveyed strongly in our national statement.

At the Commission Australia strongly supported establishment of a Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, to ensure that the world's prime human rights forum places an appropriate focus on the crime of trafficking.