News & Insights
Family, domestic and sexual violence is a major welfare issue in Australia, occurring across all socioeconomic and demographic groups. However, we acknowledge that these issues affect women and children at disproportionate rates.
In late 2025, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) provided new figures that covered the 2024-2025 financial period where there was an increase of 10 percent in human trafficking reports. In particular, exit trafficking reports increased from 35 reports in the previous year, to 75 reports, an increase of 114 percent.
So, what is exit trafficking?
Under the Commonwealth Criminal Code, human trafficking is defined as including practices of organising or facilitating the ‘entry, proposed exit, or receipt of another person’.[1] Plainly, exit trafficking is a sub-category of human trafficking best described as “when an offender uses coercion, threats or deception to organise the exit, or proposed exit, of a victim from Australia”.[2]
Examples of exit trafficking can be, but not limited to:
- Being told you are going on holiday overseas and being abandoned once you arrive with the intention of not allowing you to return to Australia by taking your passport
- Being bought a ticket and being told you must depart Australia
- Being taken overseas and forced to marry someone when you arrive in the offshore country
- Taking children who are usual residents of Australia outside to an overseas country and leaving the child there against their will.
Penalties for exit trafficking
Exit trafficking carries a significant potential conviction of up to 12 years imprisonment which is much higher than other potential convictions of domestic and family violence.
The first exit trafficking conviction only came in 2021,[3] in NSW and recently there has been a further two convictions in Victoria with one perpetrator jailed for up to 4 years and 6 months for exit trafficking his wife. Many cases of exit trafficking go unreported or do not lead to a conviction.[4] There remains significant need for improved protections for people who face attempted exit trafficking and we welcome the increase in prosecutions sought by the AFP to avail visa holders who have been exit trafficked.
Support is available
If you or someone you know if a victim of exit trafficking or human trafficking, you can contact the AFP on 131 237.
Further, confidential advice is also available from the Australian Red Cross by calling (08) 8100 4500 or visiting the red cross website here.
At MSM Legal, we assist victims of migration-related abuse by providing clear legal advice, visa assistance, and support in navigating available protections under Australian migration law. Contact us on (08) 8161 5088 if you need assistance.
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[1] S271.2(1) (1A-C) Commonwealth Criminal Code
[2] Definition available via AFP website, https://www.afp.gov.au/news-centre/media-release/reports-human-trafficking-nearly-double-over-past-five-years
[3] First conviction in Australia, available at https://www.afp.gov.au/news-centre/media-release/first-exit-trafficking-conviction-australia
[4] https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/jun/02/tricked-or-forced-out-of-australia-the-vulnerable-women-at-the-centre-of-a-hidden-domestic-violence-crisis-ntwnfb