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Forced labour, sexual exploitation and forced marriage: modern slavery in Australia hides in plain sight
Yes, there was slavery in Australia. Yes, there is slavery in Australia now.
It occurs as forced labour, sexual exploitation and forced marriage.
- Alexandra Baxter
- The Conversation
These situations rarely involve the actual chains and bars we commonly associate with historical slavery.
They are nonetheless conditions of enslavement: a person is forced to work under threat; is controlled by another; is dehumanised or treated as a commodity; and is not free to leave.
Relatively speaking, modern slavery is rare in Australia. Perhaps a few thousand people fit the strict definition, compared…