A man who ‘discarded’ his wife overseas has been jailed in a first for this Australian state. What is exit trafficking and who is at risk?

A 52-year-old man became the first Victorian convicted of exit trafficking in April and was sentenced to four and a half years in prison in a Melbourne court on Tuesday. Photograph: Dave Hunt/AAP

A Victorian father who deceived his wife into travelling to Sudan before “discarding” her and taking her children and passport back to Australia has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison.

After a county court trial in Melbourne, the 52-year-old man in April became the first Victorian convicted of exit trafficking – where someone is coerced, threatened or tricked into leaving Australia against their will.