Australia proposes changing slavery laws to include bans on organ trafficking, forced marriage

Source: Associated Press

Australia proposes changing slavery laws to include bans on organ trafficking, forced marriage
By Associated Press, Updated: Wednesday, May 30, 1:54 AM

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s attorney general on Wednesday introduced legislation that would broaden the legal definition of slavery to include organ trafficking and forced marriage.

Existing slavery laws mainly protect Asian women from being brought to Australia to work as sex slaves in brothels. The proposed amendments would create a new offense of forced labor to address a growing number of men and women who are exploited in other industries.

“A common factor of contemporary slavery and trafficking — from forced labor and forced marriage to organ trafficking — is the misuse and abuse of power,” Attorney General Nicola Roxon told Parliament. “Such an abuse has no place here.”

Australian authorities have detected only one case of trafficking for organ transplant. An elderly Sydney woman with kidney disease flew a younger woman from the Philippines with the intention of transplanting her kidney. Police intervened before the transplant took place, alleging that the younger woman had not fully consented to the plan, which was discovered during routine hospital screening interviews.


Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/australia-would-make-organ-trafficking-and-forced-marriage-crimes-under-proposed-slavery-laws/2012/05/30/gJQAbtFp0U_story.html