A sewing workshop with multiple sewing machines and workers sewing. Workers are seated at tables with colorful fabric and tools.

Human Trafficking

What is human trafficking?

Human trafficking is a type of modern slavery. It is when a person harbours, transfers, receives, or transports a person, using means of coercion and deception, for the purpose of exploitation.

It does not have to involve moving someone across a border. It can happen in your own city.

Human trafficking and the exploitation of people for profit are elements of our economic systems that have existed for centuries and continue to thrive today.

Currently, there are an estimated 50 million people enslaved across the world, according to the Walk Free Foundation.

This number has grown by 10 million in the last five years.

Diagram with three red circles containing white text explaining the meaning of the word 'act.' The first circle states, 'ACT The reception, recruitment, transport, transfer, concealment, or harbouring of a person.' The second circle states, 'MEANS Deception or coercion.' The third circle states, 'PURPOSE Exploiting or facilitating the exploitation of a person.'
Learn more about the signs of human trafficking

Human trafficking in Aotearoa New Zealand

The Government is not doing enough to prevent human trafficking and exploitation in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Aotearoa New Zealand has been identified as a destination country for human trafficking and exploitation, especially for forced labour trafficking and sex trafficking.

For a long time, it was thought that we were too isolated from the rest of the world to have human trafficking happening on our shores.

But that is simply not true, and we need to be doing more to uphold human dignity and demonstrate preferential option for the most vulnerable in our communities.

What can you do?

At Caritas, we believe there are clear steps that the Government should be taking to address human trafficking in Aotearoa New Zealand. You can learn more about these below:

  • After five years of campaigning for legislation to prevent slavery and labour exploitation in the supply chains and operations of New Zealand businesses, we were relieved when the Government began drafting legislation in 2023.

    However, in 2024, the new Government announced that modern slavery legislation was not a priority, a major setback and a move in the wrong direction.

    We continue to advocate for this essential legislation to hold businesses accountable and ensure that human dignity is upheld across supply chains.

  • All people deserve to be valued and cared for by their family, communities and workplaces. That includes being safe and free from exploitation and having accessible pathways to get support when they experience harm. 

    There are currently an overwhelming number of helplines in New Zealand for migrant exploitation, labour exploitation, sexual violence and child abuse. With so many options, exploitation victim-survivors often feel confused about where to get the best information on their situation, before even considering formal reporting through the police or other agencies. 

    This is why we are calling on the New Zealand government to allocate resources for the establishment and operation of a dedicated helpline for victims of trafficking and exploitation. 

  • International law recognises that there is no need to prove means of coercion or deception to charge someone for trafficking or exploiting a child, as they are likely unable to understand the situation or provide informed consent.

    However, the current definition of human trafficking in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Crimes Act requires proof of coercion or deception regardless of age.

    We want to ensure that child traffickers receive the punishments suited to their crime and that children who are trafficked are more likely to receive justice.

    Therefore, we urge for amendments to be made to the Crimes Act to recognise that proof of coercion or deception is not necessary to prosecute someone for child trafficking and exploitation, thereby aligning legislation with international law.

We encourage you to have your say and speak up for human rights and justice.

Every person's voice has the power to make a difference, and the more people that call for action to address human trafficking, the better!

To make things easier for you, we've created a template you can personalise to write a letter to your local MP.

Download the template

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is a member of the Modern Slavery and Labour Exploitation Advisory Group

This group was established in 2019 to foster cross-sector collaboration and effectively address the root causes of exclusion and exploitation. We continue to support the campaign for legislative action in Aotearoa New Zealand to overcome these practices.