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What happened
After being arrested for "sexual servitude," Ms Netthip also pleaded guilty to a number of immigration offences. Ms Netthip was sentenced on 30 July 2010 to two years and three months imprisonment for the sexual servitude offences, with a non-parole period of 13 months. In relation to the migration offences she received a three-and-a-half year good behaviour bond. As stated above, between about August 2005 and March 2008, Ms Netthip conducted a business through which she organised the placement of 11 Thai women in brothels in Australian cities, including Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Perth. Each women was recruited in Thailand. A Thai facilitator arranged passports and visas and made travel arrangements. Each women agreed that, once in Australia, she would repay a "debt" of $53,000. On average, a complainant took about six months to repay her debt. Ms Namthip Netthip worked to fraudulently assist the Thai women to receive refugee status in Australia. Ms Netthip provided her with false factual information about the conditions that they had experienced in Thailand. The offender coached complainants about the manner in which they should respond to questions posed by DIAC officers. Once one of the Thai women had applied for a protection visa, she was entitled to work while she awaited the outcome of the immigration assessment. This incident was reported by the Media in Australia, see, http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/07/30/.htm and by the University of Queensland - TC Beirne School of Law - Human Trafficking Working Group - Case Reports - Case Name - R v Namthip Netthip - current on August 12, 2010. For further information see the court report at the following address - http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/dcjudgments/2010nswdc.nsf//086afd561dfad40fca2577700002d911?opendocument
Response and intervention
Ms Netthip was arrested by Australian Police in 2009. On 30 March 2010, Netthip pleaded guilty to the sexual servitude of 11 other persons between 30 August 2005 and 1 April 2008. Ms Netthip was found guilty of knowingly conducting a business involving sexual servitude: s 270.6(2) Criminal Code 1995 (Cth) and of making false statements to an immigration official in connection with an application for a protection visa: s 234(1)(b) Migration Act 1958 (Cth) and of causing a document containing a false statement to be delivered to a DIAC officer: s 234(1)(c) Migration Act 1958 (Cth) The exact details on victim emancipation and legal/social serives are uncertain here, as such information on the Thai women has not been released, however because Ms Netthip was arrested and sentenced to 13 months jail under Australian law, it can only be assumed that the Thai women received aftercare services upon emancipation, however this is still uncertain.