Backpackers in Australia Are Being Coerced Into Sex for Visa Signoffs

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In Australia, if you're a backpacker on a 12-month working visa looking to stay for a second year, you're required to do three months of work in a regional or rural area. Most of the time, this takes the form of fruit-picking and other unskilled farm work. When the three months are up, the employer signs off on your visa application to confirm you've done the time and you go back to cruising the nation's highways in obnoxiously painted campervans.

But while this sounds like a fairly reasonable arrangement, it has long been shadowed by claims of harassment and exploitation, with some farmers reportedly seeking payment to sign work orders. Now, new reports have emerged that allege some farmers in Queensland are using this position of power to coerce female workers into sex, according to Queensland's Anti-Discrimination Commissioner, Kevin Cocks.

"He (the farmer) went straight away, 'I'm going to sign this, but only if you sleep with me,'" said German backpacker, Daphne, in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). She also said she'd been warned about her employer from other backpackers on the farm. Her claims, and over a dozen others, are now being investigated by the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Commission (ADCQ).

Commissioner Cocks also spoke with the ABC and outlined the way the state's Wolf Creek-style remoteness exacerbates the issue of shady employers pressuring travelers into sex. "Often the contractors provide accommodation as well, so women are being put in quite vulnerable situations," he said.

Estonian-born journalist Katri Uibu encountered the issue firsthand last year. Writing about the experience for The Drum , she described the feeling of dread brought about by continued sexualized comments from her employer. "I learned to push my suitcase against the door, so I would hear if the farmer ever did decide to 'surprise' me."

According to Commissioner Cocks, in Queensland's Lockyer Valley alone, at least a dozen direct and indirect reports had been made to community members over the past 18 months. His statements were confirmed by a Queensland Police spokesman, who said there had been issues with farmers harassing foreign workers.

It's not the first time the 417 visa has come under fire. Earlier this year, Four Corners reported on the wider exploitation of workers. Individuals were partaking in work that was either unpaid, or fell far below the national minimum wage of $17.29 [$12.64 USD] per hour. It was estimated that labor hire companies were making millions of dollars from withholding pay.

Many backpackers reported working up to 18-hours a day without any time off. Queensland vegetable farm worker Molly described the experience as, "like we were going back in time. It was crazy, the way we were being treated was inhumane." Some women also said they felt specifically targeted and had experienced sexual harassment.

In response to those allegations, the National Farmers Federation announced they were developing a Best Practice Scheme for Agricultural Employment. The Federal Government also responded, bringing in reforms including mandatory pay stubs for all workers employed under the visa, which speaks to the lack of regulation in place at the time.

It's unclear what changes will be made this time around, or how effective any changes will be. With over 194,000 417 visas granted last year, that's a lot of people—many very young—in places where internet and phone reception is limited, and access to transportation is difficult without help from the people you'd hypothetically be trying to get away from.

A good place to start could be the prosecution, or at least the blacklisting, of employers reported to police and immigration officials. This is something which hasn't happened so far. Another step could be finding a way to encourage more travelers to speak out about their experiences. But with the perceived threat of non-renewment hanging over them, this will be a challenge. As Daphne said to the ABC, "I wanted to leave but the problem was that I couldn't because I needed that visa."

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