'Insidious': Man tricked wife into leaving Australia before cancelling visa

The 44-year-old man from Merrylands in Western Sydney is the third person in Australia to be convicted of exit trafficking where a person has been coerced, forced or threatened to leave the country against their will.

The man told his wife that the couple would be travelling to Afghanistan on a charity mission.

He gave her a falsified itinerary stating the pair would fly to Central Asia on January 27, 2018 and return together on February 13, 2018.

However the 44-year-old returned to Australia by himself on February 1, 2018.

On February 2 he wrote to the Department of Home Affairs withdrawing his sponsorship of the 35-year-old woman's partner visa.

An investigation was launched after the woman, who returned to the country on February 5 with help from her family, contacted the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

"No one has the right to 'cancel' another person's visa, including the visa sponsor," AFP acting detective sergeant Sarah Manning said.

"This type of behaviour is a Commonwealth offence and carries a potential 12-year jail term."

The man pleaded guilty to one count of facilitating the exit of a person from Australia by using deception and was sentenced to two years and one month in prison with a non-parole period of 12 months on June 21, 2024.

"Exit trafficking is an insidious offence that is often underreported despite it being a criminal offence in Australia," acting detective sergeant Manning said.

"We commend the bravery of the victim for coming forward and trusting our officers with the investigation."

InTouch CEO Rasha Abbas said exit trafficking was "a serious, criminal offence" and a form of abuse that was affecting women seeking support from the organisation.

She said exit trafficking was "part of a broader pattern of visa and migration abuse that is unfortunately quite common amongst women who are in Australia on temporary visas"

It included "perpetrators threatening to deport their partner, withholding documents and sabotaging residency efforts".

"Prior to exit trafficking occurring, there is often already abuse occurring within the relationship, and support and access to services needs to be available to these women," she said.

Ms Abbas said funding for specialist, culturally-appropriate and language accessible family violence services and legal support were needed, as well as community education.

"Key to tackling this would also be requiring all parties making partner visa applications to acknowledge what family violence is, that it is against the law in Australia," she said.

Ms Abbas also said contacts for support services "so that people have this awareness immediately upon arriving in Australia" were also required.

Information should be provided to all temporary visa holders in their preferred language about what supports are available if they're not feeling safe in a relationship, she said.

"Your visa status should never prevent you from escaping family violence or accessing essential supports," Ms Abbas said.

"While family violence provisions have been extended for partner visas, a large proportion of women on temporary visas often can't access crucial supports such safe housing, Medicare or Centrelink.

"This needs to change."

If you suspect that you or another person is experiencing, or at risk of, modern slavery or human trafficking, call 131 AFP (237) or use the AFP's confidential online form. If you have immediate concerns for your safety, the safety of another person, or there is an emergency, dial Triple Zero (000).

The Support for Trafficked People Program is a key component of Australia's response to support victims of human trafficking, slavery and slavery-like practices, and is delivered nationally by the Australian Red Cross.

If you or someone you know is being exploited, help is available. For information and confidential advice please contact Australian Red Cross via their website or call 1800 113 015.