New Zealand is not ‘an easy target’ for human trafficking, Immigration Minister Nathan Guy has said.
But he admitted that traffickers were active in most parts of the world and that if a boat carrying 500 asylum seekers could reach Canada (as it did in 2010), it could reach our shores as well.
“The recent Exercise Barrier on Auckland harbour showed us what a major operation it would be dealing with such an arrival. New Zealand will not tolerate those engaged in the cruel and dangerous business of people smuggling,” he said, speaking at the annual conference of the New Zealand Association of Migration and Investment in Auckland on August 31, 2012.
He said that while distance had protected the country from mass arrivals, there could be no room for complacency.
Australian scene
He said the ‘Houston Report’ (named after former Australian Defence Force Chief Angus Houston), released on August 13, 2012 had made a number of recommendations which would be of use to New Zealand.
“With this Report, there is now closer political consensus with Australia moving back to offshore processing. This year has seen a surge in the number of boats targeting Australia, with over 7000 people already arriving this year. That is a record number,” he said.
According to Mr Guy, it was too early to say if the Australian policy changes would have any impact on the likelihood of illegal boats targeting New Zealand, but would not rule out the possibility.
He recently visited the Villawood Detention Centre in Sydney to understand how such centres operated.
“The journey by sea is extremely dangerous and many people have lost their lives already. Make no mistake, people smuggling is a cruel and ruthless business.”
Statutory Amendment
The Parliament Select Committee released its report relating to the Immigration Amendment Bill recently.
“It is important that New Zealand is prepared, and I am hopeful our Parliament will pass the Immigration Amendment Bill by the end of the year,” Mr Guy said.
According to www.humantrafficking.org, which has the support of the US Academy of Educational Development, New Zealand is destination country for human trafficking.
Sex workers
Estimates of human trafficking in New Zealand are modest, with some reports of debt bondage and confiscation of document among women in prostitution, a report on the website said.
“New Zealand is a destination country for women who are trafficked from Malaysia, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China, and other countries in Asia for commercial sexual exploitation. There have been no reports of foreign trafficking victims since 2001, although there is evidence of women from Asia, the Czech Republic, and Brazil who were working illegally as prostitutes,” it said.
The website report said that New Zealand also has internal trafficking of women and children for commercial sexual exploitation.
The Prostitution Law Review Committee estimated that approximately 200 young persons under the age of 18 were working as prostitutes in 2004.
New Zealand complies
The US Department of State placed New Zealand in Tier 1 of its ‘Trafficking in Persons Report’ for fully complying with the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking under its ‘Trafficking Victims Protection Act.’
There has been no evidence of government officials who are complicit in human trafficking, the Report said.
“New Zealand uses many laws to prosecute traffickers. Part 5 of the 1961 Crimes Act criminalises sex and labour trafficking. Other laws prohibit New Zealanders from child sex tourism and criminalise financial gain from commercial sexual exploitation of children,” the Report said.
According to available information, eight persons were prosecuted and convicted in 2006 on charges of trafficking children less than 18 years of age for sexual exploitation, in addition to three brothel operators and one client.
A brothel owner was sentenced to 21 months imprisonment; another owner and his secretary were sentenced respectively to 300 hours and 180 hours of community service; the client was sentenced to one to two years’ imprisonment.
“The New Zealand Government provides a short-term shelter, witness protection, medical services and repatriation assistance to trafficking victims,” the Report said.
