Report from the ACRATH visit to Canberra – 15–19th September 2008

Josephite Counter Trafficking Project (JCTP)

The Josephite Counter Trafficking Project (JCTP) is a Congregational Ministry that responds to the needs of people who are trafficked.

Trafficking of persons is a human rights violation with between 700,000 and two million persons being trafficked globally each year. Human trafficking is the second largest source of income globally and Australia is a country of destination.

Men, women and children are brought into Australia under false pretences and end up in forced labour, including sexual servitude, sweat shops and work under appalling conditions. They are not free to leave because of fear of threat or harm to them and/or their families.

Members of the JCTP are Asian women or who have had long experience in Asia or in working in cross cultural situations. They offer flexible culturally-sensitive support to women of Asian origin who have been trafficked into Australia. They also offer collaboration with religious, government and NGO groups involved in providing services. They offer companionship in mother–tongue language in Chinese, Malaysian, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese, and Khmer for women who need this re-assurance. They can provide culturally-sensitive mentoring to enable women who have been trafficked to Australia to make informed choices. They are developing programs to enable women to develop a sense of self worth. They continue to develop and maintain grass roots contacts in the Asia-Pacific region so that choices and options for women returning to their country of origin are clearly understood.

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A new pathway….collaborating with the Salvation Army

On May 1, the Sisters of St Joseph were able to join in the celebration of the launch of Samaritan Accommodation which provides supported accommodation for migrant women who have experienced human trafficking.

The Josephites are one of several community partners in this project and are able to enter into such a partnership because of the work done in the Josephite Counter Trafficking Project (JCTP) a congregational ministry.

In this community partnership the Salvation Army provide an extensive and appropriate accommodation service to these women and the Josephites (JCTP) are committed to providing such things as pastoral support to the women, cross cultural assistance, English language assistance, the possibility of holiday/respite accommodation, networking with other religious orders, assisting with reintegration into country of origin and provide policy and procedure support when needed. The Josephites have been able to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Salvation Army in order to provide this ministry.

Sister Margaret Ng of the Western Australian Province has been working in Sydney in this area for some years now and is highly regarding in the sector because of her grass-roots work which is supported by her high level of knowledge, skills and experience in the field. At the launch, Margaret’s contribution was acknowledged several times by different members of the Salvation Army.

This new partnership reflects the ongoing call: We are summoned, as Mary and Julian were, to set out on new pathways……. & ….held in God’s hospitable heart we draw strength to respond

to places of violence, fear and insecurity in our world.