Federal police warn of rise of forced labor in Australia

CANBERRA, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Australian authorities have issued an alert over a surge in reports of forced labor and exploitation in the country.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) on Monday said that the number of reported cases of forced labor and exploitation has increased by 140 percent over the last six years.

The data was released by the AFP on the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery -- a United Nations (UN) initiative -- to highlight how criminal networks target vulnerable offshore workers and traffic them into Australia.

Helen Schneider, the AFP's human exploitation commander, said that organized criminal groups treat victims of human trafficking as commodities and exploit them for profit.

"Criminal syndicates will use deceptive recruitment tactics to target and force vulnerable individuals into these appalling situations, and trap them into endless cycles of debt, forced labor or domestic servitude," she said in a statement.

"The AFP is the lead agency in investigating this crime type and we investigate any reports we receive, but we also urge members of the public to be vigilant and alert police to any suspicions of human trafficking offences."

The AFP said it received 69 reports of forced labor and exploitation in 2023-24 -- up from 29 in both 2018-19 and 2019-20.

It said it received 382 reports of offenses related to all forms of human trafficking in 2023-24.■