A Colombian man allegedly locked people in closets for several days and took control of their passports and earnings in Adelaide’s northern hinterland.
The 38-year-old, who lived in Kilburn, allegedly helped members of a youth group he used to lead in Venezuela to migrate to Australia in 2015, and another member of the group also moved to Australia in 2016.
However, once they arrived in Australia, police will allege the man took control of their passports and income, tracked their movements, restricted their daily activity and forced the victims to “pay debts that were unreasonably imposed” in what It has been described as “cruel and continuous”. inhuman and degrading treatment.”
Police allege they isolated the victims from family and friends and restricted or monitored their private messages to loved ones, while locking them outside the group home or inside closets for several days.
Australian Federal Police Detective Superintendent Melinda Adam said bonded practices, including debt bondage, occur when “people are subjected to conditions they have not agreed to.”
“Victims are significantly deprived of their personal freedom in all aspects of their lives, and threats, coercion or deception are often used against them,” Superintendent Adam said.
“Offenders typically benefit or benefit from vulnerable people who are unable, or unwilling, to report exploitative conditions for fear of retaliation from perpetrators, social isolation, and financial dependence on offenders.”
A search warrant was executed Thursday at the man’s home in Kilburn.
The man allegedly helped members of the youth group from Venezuela migrate to Australia (pictured, the man is arrested at a house in Kilburn, Adelaide, on Thursday)
The AFP will allege that the man (pictured) took charge of the migrants’ passports and income.
The man was arrested and AFP investigators seized electronic devices and documentation.
He was charged with one count of debt bondage (aggravated), cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, with the maximum penalty for this crime being seven years in prison if convicted.
He was also charged with one count of causing a person to enter or remain in servitude (aggravated), cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison if convicted.
The 38-year-old is expected to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Friday.
Superintendent Adam urged people to come forward if they suspect someone is at risk of exploitation.
“The AFP urges people to be aware of signs of slavery practices and to report anything that may appear suspicious,” said Commissioner Adam.
Indicators of human trafficking, slavery and slavery-like practices may include lack of access to income or savings, inability to choose accommodation, and never leaving the workplace without being accompanied by an employer.