Sexual exploitation
Sexual exploitation has occurred when a person has been forced or tricked into providing services of a sexual nature.
In addition to the indicators for forced labour, the following signs may be present in offences of sexual exploitation:
Has the person been forced into providing services of a sexual nature?
Has the person been moved from another country or state to provide sexual services?
Is the person under the age of 18?
Has the person experienced abuse such as abduction, assault or rape?
If you or someone you know is experiencing one or more of these signs, and/or suspect that a person is experiencing sexual exploitation, consider a referral to Project Respect.
Case Study
Ji-min was lured from Korea to Australia by a ‘recruiter’, who promised her a secure and well-paid job as a karaoke singer and dancer. Ji-min’s sponsors paid for her flight and for her apartment, which Ji-min shared with five other women. On her first day of work, Ji-min found herself in a brothel. Her recruiters told her that she owed more than $8,000 in travel and accommodation costs and that she was required to provide sexual services in order to pay the debt. Read more about Ji-min’s story, and how the Salvation Army assisted Ji-min here.