Slavery Hiding in Plain Sight, By Rod Lampard

Nation First looks into the media silence, political correctness, and multicultural policy settings behind Australia's rising forced marriage and modern slavery crisis.

Fears about reporting the failings of multiculturalism are enabling the rise of modern slavery and forced marriages in Australia.

Despite a sharp increase in both practices, Legacy Media's attention span appears to default to self-censorship whenever the issue climbs too high on the intersectional "oppression" ladder.

They don't want the Section 18C drama of being falsely accused of racism, "Islamophobia," and now, thanks to the Lab-Lib Uni-party, "hate speech."

Even when the information comes from sources like the Australian Federal Police (AFP), which just last year alerted Australians to a spike of more than 12.3 per cent in abuse cases.

Consequently, the facts are footnoted rather than made front-page news.

Such self-censorship fits the definition of Social Desirability Bias (SDB). It doesn't just stop victims from testifying to the truth.

As a consequence of political correctness, SDB is stopping churches, journalists, and politicians from acting in victims' best interests.

For example, news from the AFP that 382 instances of modern slavery and human trafficking were recorded between 2023 and 2024 has largely been met with radio silence.

Few media organisations have dared to put their hand to this plough, probably because these revelations cast multiculturalism in a negative light.

As I pointed out in a September 2025 piece for Caldron Pool, the AFP was aware of 109 incidents of child trafficking and 91 forced marriages.

They also reported 89 cases of forced labour, 59 cases of sexual exploitation, and 21 cases of domestic servitude.

Of these, at least one Indonesian group was involved.

The AFP stated that the actual number of incidents is likely higher, noting that their figures reflect only reported cases of slavery and forced marriage.

Many cases are never reported due to the Social Desirability Bias and the "impression management" pressures mentioned above.

According to the Australian Government, "a forced marriage is modern slavery."

It may involve a cultural, religious, or civil ceremony, carried out in a registry office, place of worship, home, or community setting, and may occur in Australia or overseas.

To their credit, the 2025 AFP report is headlined: "Hiding in Plain Sight."

In the report, the AFP stated that while they are "the lead agency for investigating human trafficking and slavery, it is everyone's responsibility to stop it from happening."

If the AFP needs media coverage, why does the majority of the media apparatus appear to be burying its findings?

If Australia's fourth estate is not micromanaging multiculturalism's image or engaging in self-censorship for fear of being accused of racism, why the silence?

Australia's media appears to be more concerned with accommodating "cultural sensitivities" than protecting vulnerable Australians from forced marriage and slavery.

Try as the government and media might, it is dishonest to dismiss any link between multicultural policy settings and the rise of forced marriages and slavery in Australia.

First, forced marriage is considered a "culturally sensitive" issue.

As an InTouch Monash Brief from 2018 observed: "Forced marriage is a unique form of family violence requiring specialised and culturally appropriate services and supports."

Secondly, without mass immigration and official multicultural policy, there would be no need for new laws, such as seven-year prison sentences for forcing anyone over 18 to marry.

This point alone challenges the claim that forced marriages have nothing to do with multicultural policy settings.

The practice is not part of Australia's Anglo-Celtic legal or cultural foundations.

We do not see Labor's Tony Burke directing bureaucrats to distribute forced marriage FAQs to Rotary groups, Christian Bible studies, bowls tournaments, or long-established Anglo-Celtic community gatherings across the nation.

Thirdly, the Australian Government's Home Affairs Forced Marriage FAQ primarily educates migrants about Australian laws that outlaw the practice.

Regardless of official reassurances, forced marriage presents a serious policy challenge. No amount of "all cultures are equal" rhetoric can excuse or minimise the harm being done.

https://nationfirst.substack.com/p/slavery-hiding-in-plain-sight