Australian Parliamentary Briefing: Organ Trafficking
November 6th 2024: Experts and witnesses discussed the latest findings and Australian actions at the Parliament House, including a summary of the international legislative developments addressing organ trafficking, and examining what the Australian Government could do to affect change.
The speakers on the panel were Cheng Pei Ming, the first known survivor of forced organ harvesting in China; Madeleine Bridgett, an international human rights barrister based in Sydney and a member of the Australian Committee for ETAC; and Vivi Zhuang, a labour camp survivor from China who was subjected to blood-testing and medical examinations when detained in Shanghai.
Mr Cheng provided his harrowing testimony as the only known survivor of forced organ harvesting, whereby he was subjected forced removal of his liver and left lung in a Chinese hospital when imprisoned for his spiritual practice of Falun Gong. He escaped from China to Thailand and his survival experience has been widely reported in the Australian and international media August this year.
Ms Bridgett addressed her efforts across many years in actively advocating for legislative reform to prevent organ trafficking, drafting numerous submissions and provided evidence in parliamentary inquiries into modern slavery, organ trafficking and other related matters.
Ms Zhuang recounted her family’s experiences of being subjected to forced medical examinations in a labour camp due to their practice of Falun Gong. She urgently pleaded for government intervention against the brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners at the hands of the CCP, that has devasted countless families including her own.
Excerpt from Ms Zhuang’s testimony:
(Impact on My Daughter, Katrina Li)
When I finally returned home, I longed to embrace my daughter. However, when she saw me, she stood still, tears streaming down her face. I crouched down and gently took her hands as she led me to her drawings and crafts, asking me to stay with her constantly. Wherever I went, she followed.
In August 2014, after we arrived safely in Sydney, I needed to run an errand and couldn’t take her with me. She clung to my leg, crying and begging me not to leave. It was the first time she had cried out loud since my return from prison. I held her close, reassuring her that we were safe in Australia and that no harm would come to us.
My mother later told me that after I was taken away, she did not immediately tell my daughter the truth. However, after three months of endless questions and tears, my mother-in-law finally explained that I had been arrested. From that moment, my daughter stopped crying and became eerily quiet.
The news of Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong flying to Melbourne to welcome Cheng Lei’s return home gave me a glimmer of hope. To rescue my husband, my daughter and I, with the help of other practitioners, actively reached out to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Members of Parliament. Recently, Jerome, the MP for the area where I reside, informed us that he has already been in contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs regarding the rescue of my husband.
The briefing highlighted that legislative reform around the world has been occurring at a rapid rate to address the issue of organ trafficking, with around 15 countries and regions, including the UK, Canada, Italy, Belgium, Spain and Norway, having adopted legislation to put an end to this serious offence.
The panel urged Australian Government to examine what could be done to affect change.
