Perth couple charged with human trafficking after allegedly taking women’s passports and keeping them in ‘debt bondage’
Two people have been charged with multiple counts of human trafficking, alleging they held foreign women in “debt bondage” and took their passports to work in a massage parlor.
A 32-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman allegedly stole the passport of a 41-year-old woman in October 2023 while she was working as a masseur.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers also accused the couple of tricking the woman into paying back “unreasonable” expenses and falsifying the woman’s visa application, a Perth court heard on Friday.
The duo were previously charged in May with keeping another 36-year-old employee in debt bondage after allegedly stealing that woman’s passport in 2021.
The alleged victim was also forced to work in the massage industry.
The pair are also alleged to have provided false visa application details relating to two other women, as well as a third foreigner and four who failed to reach Australia, according to a report by Nine news said.
Police will accuse the couple of exploiting vulnerable foreign workers and circumventing immigration laws, AFP’s Chief Inspector Peter Chwal said.
“Some victims find their working conditions better than those in their countries of origin, even though the conditions are extremely exploitative,” Chwal said.
A man and a woman have been charged with trafficking female foreigners into Australia (stock image)
The pair are accused of forging visa applications to lure in foreigners who they then forced to work in a massage parlour after confiscating their passports and putting them into ‘debt bondage’ (stock image)
‘All workers in Australia are entitled to a minimum wage and certain conditions.
‘The AFP and partner organisations can assist people who are being exploited and focus on protecting the safety and well-being of victims.’
The couple were charged with multiple offences, including incitement to debt bondage, two counts of possessing a foreign travel document and nine counts of providing multiple documents with false information.
This is the first time the AFP has made allegations of debt bondage in Western Australia.