Murky Waters
A qualitative assessment of modern slavery in the pacific region
Walk Free calls for action from Australian and Pacific Island governments, development partners, businesses and faith and community leaders to tackle the issue as a priority.
This Walk Free study assesses the nature of slavery across the region, drawing on grassroots knowledge in eight countries in the Pacific region, including Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu. In all eight countries, at least one, but often several forms of modern slavery were identified, including human trafficking, forced labour, sexual exploitation, and forced marriage.
The report calls for coordinated action from governments, civil society, business leaders, development partners, faith leaders, and community leaders and chiefs. It also makes a number of recommendations including culturally specific awareness raising campaigns to improve understanding and help identification of victims, training for police and prosecutors and the development of support services.
