Survivor’s story sheds light on modern slavery

Speaking to MPs at the briefing, Melissa Halliday from the charitable organisation ACRATH recounted the story of a woman she called ‘Maria’ who was recently admitted to a Melbourne hospital.

‘Maria was an older woman picked up by local police after sleeping rough in a park. She was taken to a CBD emergency department,’ Ms Halliday noted.

’Maria was severely undernourished. She was fearful, skittish, she had physical injuries that had been neglected.

‘Her case may have been interpreted as one of challenged mental health or homelessness had it not been for the social worker and nurse who’d actually undertaken ACRATH modern slavery training. They saw her situation a little differently and chose to look a little deeper.

‘These clinicians who knew the signs of modern slavery and the different forms it takes cared for Maria and came to believe that she had been experiencing domestic servitude.

‘They referred her to the Australian Federal Police and the case was prosecuted as such.

‘And this was just in a regular suburb of Melbourne.’

With an estimated 41,000 men, women and children living in modern slavery in Australia today, ACRATH representatives pointed out that victims can be found across Victoria.

‘No matter what electorate you belong to there is human trafficking and modern slavery in your electorate,’ said ACRATH member Margaret Leahy.

Since its establishment in 2005, ACRATH has been advocating for people who have been trafficked or exploited in Australia. This includes educating people in schools, community groups and the health sector about slavery in supply chains.

‘We believe that it is important to engage our youth in action against human trafficking as they are a potent force for action,’ said ACRATH volunteer Bernard Dobson.

Extended learning projects have been conducted for students from the electorates of Shepparton, Dandenong, Hastings, Mornington, Nepean, Oakley, Mulgrave, Niddrie, St Albans and Sunbury.

Forced marriage is also a focus of programs and support provided by ACRATH.

Megan Bourke, a member of ACRATH’s working group on forced marriage, noted that forced marriage is one of the most highly reported forms of modern slavery across Australia and in Victoria.

‘ACRATH’s response to this is a very human perspective for a start in that we look to train and educate people to notice and respond to behavioural indicators of forced marriage, to look for people who may be in a forced marriage or at threat of being in a forced marriage,’ she said.

The ACRATH information session was hosted by Legislative Assembly Speaker Maree Edwards.

‘They have shone a light on an aspect of our society that too regularly exists in the shadows,’ she said.