Hannah* and her mum were excited about visiting their cultural homeland and planned the trip with her father. However, as the journey drew nearer, they began to realise that he had no intention of bringing them back to Australia. So they planned an escape. The night before their secret flight back to Australia, they left their home at 2 am. They took their belongings, disguised as “trash to take out,” to escape.
A few months later, they were referred to The Freedom Hub Survivor School for support after their trauma. Hannah* hadn’t been to school for months and felt lost and disconnected. She struggled with shyness, and depression, and lacked the confidence to interact with people her age. Through The Freedom Hub’s Survivor School social outings, she slowly began to regain her confidence. Hannah* has since become more open, eagerly attending events. She also engages in every workshop or activity available. Her newfound confidence has motivated her to seek out more opportunities to connect with others.
Now re-enrolled in Survivor School courses with the support of her Survivor School education coach, Hannah* is focused on her education. She dreams of studying medicine to help support her mother, who is also healing from their shared experience of modern slavery, with the ongoing help and support of The Freedom Hub.
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Domestic and Family Violence: A Growing Crisis in Our Society
Domestic and family violence is a widespread issue in Australia, with severe consequences for victims and their families. It is a leading cause of homelessness, particularly for women, children, and men in abusive situations.
It becomes modern slavery when this violence extends beyond physical abuse, and includes emotional, psychological, controlling behaviours and complete loss of freedom. Shockingly, many cases go unreported, so the true scale may be much worse. The in Hannah’s case she and her mother were “exit trafficked”.
National statistics show:
- 1 in 6 women and 1 in 16 men have experienced intimate partner violence.
- 75% of victims report male perpetrators.
- 1 in 5 women and 1 in 20 men have experienced sexual violence.
- On average, one woman every nine days and one man every month is killed by a current or former partner.
Domestic violence is also a primary driver of homelessness. In 2023-24, over a quarter of people seeking homelessness support cited domestic violence, with 75% being women, many of whom were single parents. Homelessness makes women even more vulnerable to modern slavery and is a key area for us to identify women in this situation.
The impact is especially severe in Aboriginal communities, with Indigenous Australians 32 times more likely to be hospitalised due to family violence. People with disabilities are also disproportionately affected, being significantly more likely to experience physical and sexual violence.