Sydney, July 30 (SocialNews.XYZ) Australian police said on Tuesday that reports of human trafficking and slavery reached an all-time high in the 2023-2024 fiscal year, with an annual hike of 12 per cent.
Authorities received 382 reports of modern slavery and human trafficking offences, recording an increase of 12.35 per cent from 340 reports the previous fiscal year, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the latest figures released by the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
Among them, 109 reports were related to human trafficking, with 91 regarding forced marriage. There were also 69 reports of forced labour.
AFP Human Exploitation Commander Helen Schneider noted that the statistics on human trafficking were more than just numbers.
"They represent innocent lives in the community. By raising awareness of the laws in Australia and supporting victims, we can make strides in eradicating this crime," Schneider said.
"This increase is likely attributed to increased awareness of these crimes in the Australian community," the commander added.
Tuesday also marked the United Nations (UN) World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, with this year's theme focusing on "Leave No Child Behind in the Fight Against Human Trafficking."
Data from the UN suggested that one in three victims of human trafficking globally is a child, and the majority of these trafficked children are girls.
Source: IANS
About Gopi
Gopi Adusumilli is a Programmer. He is the editor of SocialNews.XYZ and President of AGK Fire Inc.
He enjoys designing websites, developing mobile applications and publishing news articles on current events from various authenticated news sources.
When it comes to writing he likes to write about current world politics and Indian Movies. His future plans include developing SocialNews.XYZ into a News website that has no bias or judgment towards any.
He can be reached at gopi@socialnews.xyz