October 1st 2009

Forced labour is work exacted from the vulnerable under the threat and menace of a penalty. Poverty, fear of deportation, social and economic constraints or reprisals against family members cause many people to fall into labour exploitation.

In this public lecture, anti-slavery campaigner Jennifer Burn will discuss the need for Australia to make forced labour a stand-alone criminal offence. While celebrating recent law reform victories which provide enhanced support to people who have experienced trafficking or slavery, she will identify what more needs to be done to combat exploitation in all its forms.

Associate Professor Jennifer Burn

Jennifer Burn is director of the award winning Anti-Slavery Project, a practising lawyer and associate professor in the Faculty of Law where she teaches citizenship and immigration law. The Anti-Slavery Project was established in 2003 and is the only dedicated legal service for people who have experienced trafficking or slavery in Australia. In 2008 the Anti-Slavery Project was awarded a grant of $250,000 from the Australian Attorney General's Department to raise awareness of all forms of trafficking in Australia. Current priorities include trafficking awareness-raising strategies, working with specific labour and community groups to promote awareness, rights and remedies and developing the Anti-Slavery Project pro bono lawyers network.

Introduced by

The Hon Michael Kirby, Former Justice of the High Court

Resources

• flyer (PDF 172k)
• audio recording (MP3 30 MB)

UTSPEAKS: is a free public lecture series presented by UTS experts discussing a range of important issues confronting contemporary Australia