Picture supplied by AFP.
THE Australian Federal Police (AFP) says it will crack down on exit trafficking after a Sydney man appeared in court for abandoning his family in Pakistan.
AFP Detective acting Inspector Emmanuel Tsardoulias said exit trafficking was an insidious and often under-reported criminal offence.
“Exit trafficking can involve a person using coercion, deception or a threat, to organise or facilitate another to leave Australia,” he says.
“No one has the right to force or deceive anyone to leave Australia, or to prevent them from returning against their will.
“We want victims to know the AFP is here to help them and that their safety and wellbeing is our primary concern when we are investigating these matters.”
A western Sydney man appeared in Burwood Local Court on Wednesday (September 25) for allegedly exit trafficking his wife to Pakistan, the AFP says.
The AFP’s Eastern Command Human Trafficking Team launched Operation Kisurra in November 2023 over a report from a woman who claimed her husband left her in Pakistan without documentation after the family travelled overseas together.
The AFP said the man, 29, allegedly deceived the victim, telling her they were going to go to Pakistan to see her family.
She and their two children flew to Afghanistan in July 2023 for a holiday then continued to Pakistan.
The AFP allege that the man held onto the family’s tickets, passports, visas and other travel documents.
The AFP say after they arrived in Pakistan, the man told the woman he would return to Afghanistan to visit friends. However, in September 2023, the victim found out he had returned to Australia alone.
The AFP say they worked with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to ensure the woman and her children returned safely to Australia.
During the investigation, AFP officers searched the man’s Auburn home in Sydney and seized several items.
He was charged with one count of exit trafficking of a person from Australia under the Criminal Code Act (1995). Media reports state he was released on conditional bail.
If you suspect that you or another person is experiencing, or at risk of, modern slavery or human trafficking, call 131 AFP (237) or use the AFP’s confidential online form.
If you have immediate concerns for your safety, the safety of another person, or there is an emergency, dial Triple Zero (000).
For information and confidential advice, contact Australian Red Cross via their website or call 1800 113 015.
