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Documented on the original SlaveryMap (2008–2016). We don’t have a verifiable source on file yet. Know one?
What happened
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.
Response and intervention
Sieders and Somsri were convicted by the NSW Supreme Court on 21 July 2006 of sexual servitude offences under s 270.6 of the Criminal Code. On 8 December 2006 Sieders was sentenced to 4 years’ imprisonment (minimum of 2 years) and Somsri was sentenced to 5 years (minimum of 2 ½ years). On 13 August 2008 the NSW Court of Appeal upheld these convictions. On 20 May 2004 Department of Immigration officers checked the visas of prostitutes at two of the brothels. They detained some of the women in Villawood Immigration Detention Centre, including one of the complainants in this case (‘BB’). She was later returned to Thailand. Unknown, however the women should have received services through the victim support program funded by the Federal Government. This victim support program has been administered by the corporate training company BSI Learning Pty Ltd – Southern Edge.