Abstract
It is widely recognised that migrants and irregular migrants are at risk of modern slavery and slavery-like practices worldwide. As migrants and irregular migrants make their way across state borders, or reach their destination countries, they have been victim to practices such as forced labour, exploitation, wage theft, torture and inhuman treatment and sexual servitude, among other practices. Australia is no exception, with just under 300 cases of modern slavery reported to the Australian Federal Police between 2021 and 2022. Although Australia has acted to stop slavery and slavery-like practices, it has focused on a law enforcement response, ignoring the role that laws and policies play in contributing to modern slavery in Australia. This article adopts a vulnerability approach to modern slavery, examining how legal, policy, institutional and structural factors within Australia contribute to exacerbating the vulnerability of migrants and irregular migrants to modern slavery and slavery-like practices. Utilising a vulnerability framework not only moves beyond the law enforcement approaches taken by the Australian government, but sheds important light on the need for policy, legal and institutional reform to effectively combat modern slavery in Australia and ensure there is redress and justice for its victims.
RAS ID
58315
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
1-1-2023
Funding Information
DVCR Small Grants 2021 – Society and Culture
School
School of Arts and Humanities / School of Business and Law
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Recommended Citation
Barnes, J., Naser, M. M., & Aston, J. (2023). A vulnerability approach to irregular migration and modern slavery in Australia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1323238X.2023.2229619
Comments
Barnes, J., Naser, M. M., & Aston, J. (2023). A vulnerability approach to irregular migration and modern slavery in Australia. Australian Journal of Human Rights, 29(1), 121-140. https://doi.org/10.1080/1323238X.2023.2229619