Modern-day slavery in Australia: Goward - Sydney Morning Herald

AAP

Forced marriage isn't just a problem for other countries but is alive and well in Australia, a forum in Sydney has heard.

The NSW Community Relations Commission is holding an inquiry into human trafficking, including sex slavery and forced marriage, of which there are an estimated 1000 cases a year in Australia, according to NSW Minister for Women Pru Goward.

Accurate statistics are hard to come by as victims are often isolated and terrified of retribution.

Victims of trafficking are often forced marry men they may not know, in some cases by threats of rape or murder aimed at them or their families, she said.

"These types of violence are considered to be an international problem, but that is not the case," Ms Goward told the symposium on forced marriage and human trafficking in Fairfield.

"No ethnic group has a monopoly on violence against women, but some groups experience violence against women disproportionately."

One woman a week is killed in NSW by a current or former partner, and in 2010 NSW police investigated 126,000 cases of domestic violence.

The resulting cost to the state was $4 billion annually, not including mental health problems, substance abuse, and homelessness experienced by victims and their children, Ms Goward said.

Ms Goward urged members of the community to come forward with any information about trafficking or forced marriage.

There were many reasons women did not report violence against women in their communities, she said.

"They may be unaware the violence is unlawful; they fear vilification, or that they will be humiliated in the community."

She said forced marriage was a separate issue from arranged marriage, which was common in many ethnic communities with both partners giving full consent.