Woman trafficked from Australia to Sudan describes ‘agonising struggle’ to reunite with her children

The 52-year-old man in April became the first Victorian convicted of exit trafficking. He faces a maximum penalty of 12 years in prison. Photograph: Con Chronis/AAP

The former wife of a Victorian man convicted of trafficking her overseas and abandoning her in Sudan says she lives in “constant fear”, describing being stranded without her children as the “most devastating experience of my life”.

The man, 52, in April became the first Victorian convicted of exit trafficking – where someone is coerced, threatened or tricked into leaving Australia against their will. A Victorian county court jury found him guilty of the federal offence after a month-long trial.