The courage and support to begin again

Modern slavery affects thousands of people across Australia. This World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, we look at how, with compassion, trust and tailored support, Australian Red Cross helps survivors to rebuild their lives.

The following words come from a person supported by Australian Red Cross after experiencing modern slavery. While their identity has been protected, their experiences reflect the reality many survivors continue to face.

“We worked long hours. We worked from six to six. We go back, have our dinner and come back. Then we work until midnight.”

“I remember I only had maybe two or three days off... and I still had to do the house chores; laundry; making sure everything is clean inside the house; taking care of the kids; tutoring the kids.”

“The owner is, like, blackmailing us, like ‘I paid for you, without me you're nothing.’ She would always say that to us and that really make our self-confidence very low.”

For Australian Red Cross Migration Support Case Workers Hannalina and Usha*, these stories are all too familiar. Working with people who have experienced modern slavery in its many forms, they understand both the devastating impact exploitation can have and the trust and support needed to help someone recover.

“A lot of the time, it’s about allowing them to breathe, and giving them the space to feel comfortable and safe,” says Usha, who has been working with the Support for Trafficked People Program at Australian Red Cross for three years. “Our program is about recovery, and about rebuilding capacity, particularly for clients who have quite severe trauma. And then supporting them when they’re ready to talk about things at their own pace.”

Hannalina points out that “a lot of people are in a critical period of their life when they come to us”. “Their previous way of life has collapsed under them. Often they are broken by their previous relationships, and it is now our relationship with them that helps with the recovery and healing.”

Where recovery begins

In Australia, modern slavery refers to a range of serious exploitative practices that undermine a person’s freedom and ability to make choices for themselves. These practices include human trafficking, slavery, servitude, forced marriage, forced labour, debt bondage, the worst forms of child labour and deceptive recruiting for labour or services.

According to global slavery index Walk Free’s latest statistics, close to 41,000 people are estimated to be living in modern slavery in Australia**. Meanwhile, 420 reports of modern slavery were made to the Australian Federal Police in 2024–25, the highest number on record. These figures make it clear that modern slavery is not a distant issue, but a hidden reality even in countries with some of the world’s highest living standards.

“I think a lot of people are still not aware of what modern slavery is, and the impact it has,” observes Usha. “There is still a lot of awareness needed for people to understand.”

The Support for Trafficked People Program (STPP) at Australian Red Cross works with survivors of modern slavery to rebuild their lives. Australian Red Cross is funded by the Department of Social Services to deliver STPP. When someone is referred to the program, the support they receive is tailored to their individual needs and circumstances, so they can begin to recover and establish stability on their own terms.

“We obtain their consent to receive help, and then we can tell them about the services, financial assistance and any other support they may need that we can help them access,” says Hannalina of how someone is welcomed into the STPP program. When the person is ready, they work with their caseworker to identify goals that support their safety, security, health and wellbeing.

“Sometimes it’s about finding them suitable short-term accommodation, as well as anything else the person deems important or urgent at the time, such as access to counselling, Medicare and other medical and dental services,” says Hannalina.

Throughout the process, Australian Red Cross walks alongside them, helping navigate those first vital steps towards safety and stability. “Support can be anything that helps the person focus on themselves and their recovery.”

A young person starts again

Usha tells the story of a person who had escaped over a decade of modern slavery in a domestic setting. They were young and living with a disability and other medical conditions.

“When they were referred to STPP, they’d never had their own laptop. They never had the means to travel or have their medical conditions cared for,” explains Usha.

“Through the support of the program, that person finally got to see a GP. They had an assessment done and received access to counselling, which opened a lot of other avenues for them, as they were able to receive a diagnosis, get treatment and understand what was happening to their body.”

Over the course of their time working together, Usha witnessed this person completely transform. The support Australian Red Cross gave them culminated in this person being accepted into a university degree and purchasing their own laptop for the very first time.

“Knowing that nobody was monitoring their emails and documents, that person shared they had never felt that liberty before,” says Usha. “It took some time, but it really changed the course of their life.”

Support built on trust

Before someone can begin to rebuild their life, they need to believe they are safe. For Hannalina and Usha, that means helping many people who have experienced modern slavery to reestablish something they have lost: trust.

“I remember this person who, right from the start, told me, ‘I don't trust you. I don’t trust any services’,” says Hannalina. “Because often, they have gone through many services seeking help, and then the challenges of explaining themselves over and over have taken a toll on them, and they have given up hope.”

Together, they found and connected the person with specialist support. By the end of their time working together, the person told Hannalina something she had never expected to hear. “She said, ‘I trust you’. It was a small thing. But it just shows how impactful and lifechanging the program can be for so many people.”

Usha has seen people she works with transform many times, too. “Australian Red Cross STPP can empower people to rebuild their capacity, rebuild their confidence and rebuild their lives.”

“Now I feel empowered because I feel like no one can control me in Australia,” says one survivor who was recently supported by Australian Red Cross. “No one can make me do things which I don't want because I got educated and I have counselling and support services in place. Now I know the difference between being controlled and being in control.”

* Names of caseworkers have been changed to protect identity.
** Figures taken from Walk Free Global Slavery Index 2023 Australia country study. Estimate refers to the number of people living in modern slavery in Australia on any given day in 2021.