Organ Harvesting and Trafficking
What is Organ Harvesting and Trafficking?
Organ harvesting occurs when a person's organs are removed without their consent or knowledge. Their organs are then trafficked to recipients, who often pay high prices for them on the illegal ‘red’ market. It is estimated that around 10% of organ transplants* use trafficked organs.
Australia’s
Relationship to Organ Transplants
In Australia, demand for organs surpasses supply.
Right now, more than 1,800 people are waiting for a life-saving transplant. In 2023, there were 1,396 organ transplant recipients from 513 deceased organ donors.
There are an additional 14,000 people whose lives would be significantly improved by a kidney transplant.
In 2023, there were 9,904 reported tissue transplant recipients from 3,286 tissue donors, including:
2,958 living tissue donors
328 deceased tissue donors.
What does this mean?
People that don’t have access to life-saving organs through their local health system may feel compelled to look elsewhere. Organ transplant tourism* is the name given to those that travel overseas to receive an organ transplant.
Through wilful or genuine ignorance, a patient may receive an organ sourced through the illegal black market, where quite possibly the donor is unknown and the organ taken without consent of the donor.
* for more information on organ transplant tourism head to Smart Traveller
What we want to change
We want to raise awareness of the issues surrounding organ trafficking by amending the incoming passenger card that must be filled out when arriving to Australia.
The suggested amendment involves adding a single question:
Have you received an organ transplant while overseas?
The intention is solely to collect data and raise awareness, not to prosecute.
We know that organ trafficking is happening, but it is not being tracked. By amending the incoming passenger card, we can better monitor and mitigate demand for trafficked organs.
Cheng Pei Ming’s Story
Cheng Pei Ming underwent state-sanctioned surgery where portions of his liver and left lung were removed without his knowledge.
He was originally detained for practicing Falun Gong, a Buddhist spiritual practice. He was repeatedly subject to torture, and ended up swallowing a blunt blade and nail that he found, which resulted in no visible impact on him.
He was taken to hospital, where doctors advised that he required a surgery with an 80% mortality rate.
He did not consent to the surgery.
He was forcibly injected with an anaesthetic drug, and woke up to a 35cm incision on his side. The surgery to remove the blade and nail would normally be conducted orally and require no incisions. Later tests found portions of his lung and kidneys had been removed.
Later, he was scheduled for another surgery while he was perfectly healthy. He managed to escape the hospital before it took place, fleeing China and becoming an advocate against forced organ harvesting.
What can you do?
We want to open up the conversation about organ donation in Australia. As of 2022, 7.5 million eligible people are registered to be organ donors.
With more donors, more people that need organ transplants can receive them. You can register with the Australian Government to become an organ donor, either while living or deceased.
Our Work So Far
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Media Release
Civil society seeks government support on organ trafficking bill.
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Letter to the Minister of Home Affairs
In this letter written with ETAC, sent on 6 Sep 2024, we appeal to the newly appointed Tony Bourke to direct his attention towards this Bill. Fourteen other individuals and organisations co-signed with their support.
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Our 2023 Inquiry Submission
The Bill making the change to the incoming passenger card was passed by the Senate and now requires support from the Australian Government.
