Sex TraffickingArchive 2008–2016

Sex Trafficking in Kambah ACT (2009)

A sex trafficking case from 2009 in Kambah ACT, Australia.

This page describes exploitation and abuse. Need to report something? How to report →

Documented on the original SlaveryMap (2008–2016). We don’t have a verifiable source on file yet. Know one?

What happened

A Canberra woman will face the ACT Magistrates court on sex slavery charges. Australian Federal Police raided a house in the southern Canberra suburb of Kambah at the weekend. It is alleged the 42-year-old woman illegally brought in sex workers to Australia to work in exploitative conditions. The woman is charged with possessing a slave, debt bondage and operating an illegal brothel. A 55-year-old man will also face court.

Response and intervention

Australian Federal Police raided a house in the southern Canberra suburb of Kambah at the weekend. Unsure Unsure at this point unsure at this point

Nearby cases

All 21 in Australia →

Sex Trafficking2006

Fairfield, NSW, Australia, 2006

Australia AU

They were each found guilty last year of five counts of possessing a slave and five counts of using a slave - the first successful prosecution of its kind in NSW.

Needs a sourceArchive 2008–2016

Sex Trafficking2003

Auburn, Sydney, NSW, Australia, 2003

Australia AU

Daniel Sweeseang Kwok, Jenny Lai Chin Ong, Raymond Aik Tong, Hosea Panyud Saputra Yoe deceptively recruited three Indonesian women to travel to Australia to work in the catering or public relations industries. They were only informed upon arrival in Australia that they were in fact to be engaged in sex work. Only then were they told that they would have to perform 800 sexual acts for no payment to repay a ‘contract debt’ of which they had no prior knowledge. The women decided that they were not prepared to undertake that sex work and managed to escape from the apartment of Ong and Tan in Auburn on 14 June 2003.

Needs a sourceArchive 2008–2016

Sex Trafficking2004

Strathfield, Parramatta and Penrith, Sydney, NSW, Australia, 2004

Australia AU

Mr Johan Sieders and his wife Ms Yotchomchin Somsri owned and managed four brothels in Sydney. One brothel in Strathfield and two in Parramatta were owned by Somsri and one in Penrith was owned by Sieders and Somsri. Five Thai women who had been trafficked into the brothels gave evidence against the traffickers. Four of the women were recruited in Thailand by a Thai woman known as Montha or Pat and sent to Australia on false tourist visas to undertake sex work in Australia. They were informed that they would have to repay a ‘contract’ sum of $45,000 before they could earn money themselves. One of the women and the brother of another woman (‘BB’) also entered written agreements in Thailand for lesser amounts. BB’s brother signed an agreement as guarantor for his sister’s debt of $15,000 which he was told she would pay off after three months’ work. The women handed over their passports and return airfares to Sieders and Somsri and were sent directly to work at the brothels on arrival in Australia. They did not receive any money and were not free until they had worked off their ‘contract’ sum. The only exception was that very occasionally a client might give them a tip of between $5 and $20 which they were allowed to keep. They were required to perform up to 563 one hour services or 1500 fifteen minute services to pay off their debt. Four of the women were able to pay off their debt in periods between 2 months 20 days and 7 months. After that they continued to work at brothels but were paid for their services and free to choose where to work. The fifth woman ‘BB’ was still working to pay off her debt when she was rescued by Department of Immigration officials. She had previously asked her cousin who worked as a prostitute in Australia to report her to police so that she could be sent home.

Needs a sourceArchive 2008–2016