Mother and her child are forced onto a plane at Sydney Airport to India by a human trafficker 

CCTV footage has captured the distressing moment a mother and her daughter were forced to board a plane to India by a human trafficker.

The Australian Federal Police released the clip, which shows the woman having an argument with a man before being led towards the boarding gate in Sydney International Airport. 

Anti-Slavery Australia informed the AFP that the mother had been threatened and forced to India against her will, prompting the formation of Operation Eastwater.

The man in the video – a 29-year-old from Lidcombe – had bought a one-way ticket for the woman in March 2017.

The Australian Federal Police released the clip which shows the woman having an argument with another man before being led towards the boarding gate in Sydney International Airport

The victim later told police the man threatened to kill her if she didn’t get on the plane.

After the woman touched down in India, the man contacted Australia’s Department of Immigration and told them false information about the mother in a cruel bid to have her banned from returning Down Under.

But two months later, the woman contacted Australian authorities who referred the matter to AFP’s Human Trafficking team. 

The man was served with a court attendance notice in September 2017 after the AFP raided his home.  

Two months later, he was arrested by police at Sydney International Airport while trying to board a flight to Bangkok. 

The man was sentenced to 21 months’ jail during a trial at the NSW District Court in January this year.

In a victim impact statement, the woman said she now lives in ‘constant fear’ the man could track her and her daughter down. 

‘This fear and stress impacts my physical, emotional and mental health,’ she told the court. 

‘I am very careful when I leave the house. I avoid leaving the house unless absolutely necessary. 

The woman, pictured clutching her daughter, was threatened by the man and forced against her will onto the flight to India

‘Ordinary things like going out to the shops or to the park has become more difficult because I fear for our safety.’

AFP Commander Hilda Sirec said victims of human trafficking often fear coming forward. 

‘Human trafficking is not often discussed or even considered to be an issue in Australian society. It is often unreported, but the reality is that Australia is not immune to human trafficking and victims in our communities are suffering in silence,’ Cmdr. Hilda said.

‘It is thanks to brave people like the woman involved in this matter that our investigators were able to work with her to see justice done.

‘AFP investigators in our human trafficking teams work tirelessly to ensure the well-being of all victims who come forward and seek an escape. Their cases are handled with compassion and great care.

‘Our partnerships across the sector, including with NGOs, are crucial in ensuring this often hidden crime comes to the surface, is talked about and the signs are understood. Without the community’s help, it’s very difficult for our investigators to take appropriate action and help victims of human trafficking.’

The AFP received 223 reports of human trafficking and slavery offences between 2019 and 2020.  

In a victim impact statement, the woman said she now lives in ‘constant fear’ the man could track her and her daughter down