Aussie exposes a dark reality that hardly anyone knows in the country: ‘People still deny that it happens here’

A young woman who has worked against human trafficking for years has shared her shock about how few Aussies know that it exists in the country.

Stephanie Clarke said in one Tap Video that happened to human trafficking much more often than most people realized.

In the viral video, which has been seen more than 700,000 times, Mrs. Clarke said that she had been aware of the dark industry for more than ten years.

“I am aware of human trafficking, the industry itself, for a long time, probably almost 15 years,” she said.

‘I have worked in the anti-human trade space for almost four years now and I have seen a lot. I trained myself a lot.

“And something that surprises me here in Australia, how (many) people still deny that human trafficking is happening here.”

Mrs Clarke has worked with the Australian organization Every Daughter Matters for four years, who is active along the border of Nepal.

She told Daily Mail Australia that the industry grew with figures from global slavery index that revealed that 41,000 people lived in modern slavery in Australia.

A young woman (photo, Stephanie Clarke) who has worked in anti-human human trafficking for years, has shared her shock about how few Aussies know that it exists in the country

In the clip, Mrs. Clarke wondered if she was Hyperaware of the size of human trafficking because of her work to prevent it.

“I’m really curious how many people know nothing about it?” she asked.

“Because I think that when you work in an industry or that you have been investigating a industry for a long time, you expect more people to be aware of this because you are so aware of it.”

“But then you start having conversations and start talking about it, and people think it is such a big, far away that it is not happening here in Australia in our own backyard.”

Human trafficking is a criminal industry of multi-billion dollars worldwide. It includes the coercion, recruitment, inn or transfer of individuals for exploitation purposes.

It can be compelling work, domestic service and sexual exploitation.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) reported 382 cases with regard to human trafficking and slavery in the financial year 2023-2024.

They include 69 reports of forced labor, 59 of sexual exploitation and 21 of household service.

Stephanie Clarke said that in a Tiktok video the human trafficking is much more common at the beginning of May than many people realized

The Australian Institute of Criminology estimated previously estimated for every known victim of human trafficking and slavery, about four victims unnoticed.

Mrs. Clarke said the disturbing industry is growing in Australia.

“Part is that it is also a growing industry and I believe that schools should teach about this,” she said.

“Because teaching about human trafficking, the signs, what to see, people will also inform about spotting the signs for predators and care.”

Many users of social media said that the problem was not known enough.

“I tell people people forever and nobody believes me. They think it is not happening here in Australia, “they wrote.

“Never heard of it in Australia,” said another.

‘To be honest, until recently I was not aware here in Australia. I was very naive and ignorant, “wrote a third.

“As a (domestic violence) employee here in (Australia), I feel exactly the same about my work and how unconscious people are about domestic violence and how often it is,” another said.

One said that human trafficking can take on more forms than people realize.

“I believe that the general public has a observed image of what they think human trafficking is real, while in reality they have no idea,” she wrote.

“It happens under their nose. It’s not just people who are sold. ‘

Others shared times they believed that they were almost traded.

“I was 15 and ran for my life of two men shouting behind me, and said I would cost a lot, that was the scariest day of my life, and that was the day I discovered what it was,” a woman said.