UN Day Against Trafficking 2025:

Join the Fight for Freedom

Imagine being promised a free education in Australia, only to end up working on a farm and sleeping in a shipping container. This was the reality for 15 young people from Papua New Guinea. They were lured with fake scholarships and trapped in forced labour in Queensland. In June 2025, the Australian Federal Police arrested a 56-year-old woman in Brisbane on human trafficking charges. She allegedly brought these victims to Australia and made them work under “oppressive conditions”. abc.net.au.

This disturbing case is a stark reminder that modern slavery isn’t just a distant problem. It’s happening here and now in our own communities.

A Global Scourge with Local Impact

As the world prepares to commemorate the United Nations World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30, 2025, we must remember that human trafficking is one of the most pressing human rights issues of our time. Globally, an estimated 50 million people are trapped in modern slavery.  Including about 28 million in forced labour and 22 million in forced marriage. unseenuk.org. This heinous trade affects every country, and Australia is no exception.

Shockingly, around 41,000 people are living in modern slavery in Australia. walkfree.org – a number that underscores that “Australia has not escaped this age-old atrocity”. thefreedomhub.org.

Human trafficking takes many forms.

From sexual exploitation and forced labour to debt bondage and forced marriage. But all of them amount to what Anti-Slavery International calls

“a serious crime and a grotesque abuse of the people it affects”. antislavery.org.

The victims are often society’s most vulnerable: one in every four victims is a child. unseenuk.org. Women and girls, in particular, face the brunt of this injustice – they account for 99% of those trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation and 58% of victims in other sectors. unseenuk.org. As the Director-General of the International Labour Organisation aptly stated,

“It is shocking that the situation of modern slavery is not improving. Nothing can justify the persistence of this fundamental abuse of human rights.”  business-standard.com

Yet amid these sobering statistics, there is hope. Survivors can recover and rebuild their lives when given support. In fact, some of the PNG nationals from the Brisbane case have been receiving help from Australian support services. abc.net.au. The Freedom Hub’s own Survivor School in Brisbane has been supporting 9 of them. We work with survivors of modern slavery and human trafficking to help them regain confidence, learn new skills, and re-enter the workforce in freedom. thefreedomhub.org.

Every success story proves that with compassion and resources, victims can become survivors, and even advocates who help others.

Turning Awareness into Action

“While the scale and profitability of this crime can be daunting, collective efforts can bring about significant change.”. thefreedomhub.org

This ethos is at the heart of the UN World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. It’s not only a day to raise awareness, but a call to action for governments, businesses, and everyday people to step up the fight against trafficking. We each have a role to play in ending this hidden atrocity. We can make a difference, and even small actions, added together, create a wave of change.

This year, we invite you to channel your passion for social justice into tangible action.

Here are some impactful ways you and your workplace can get involved around July 30th:

• Host an awareness event at work: Rally your colleagues for a Lunch & Learn session about human trafficking, or organise a fun fundraiser like a charity bake-off, after-work drinks, or a classic sausage sizzle. It’s a great way to spark conversations and educate others while building team spirit.

• Get active for freedom: Turn exercise into impact by running a walkathon or bike-a-thon. Whether it’s five friends in a park or 50 coworkers on a team challenge, a sporting event can raise both heart rates and funds to support survivors.

• Give what you can: Donate $5, $50, or $500 – every contribution, no matter the size, helps. Even a “fiver” can have a #SmallChangeBigEffect when combined with others. 100% of donations to our Fivers for Survivors campaign go directly to support victims of modern slavery in Australia, helping people like those PNG students recover from trauma and rebuild their lives. thefreedomhub.orgthefreedomhub.org.

• Join us at our Sydney breakfast: If you’re in Sydney, come along to our Women’s Advocacy Breakfast at The Freedom Hub in Waterloo. It’s an inspiring morning to hear from survivor advocates, connect with like-minded women, and learn more about how we can collectively end trafficking. Find out more or register at: https://events.humanitix.com/the-freedom-hub-women-against-trafficking-breakfast

Your action Against Human Trafficking

By taking any of these actions during the week of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, you become part of the solution. Your effort—whether it’s raising awareness in your office or donating the cost of a coffee—brings hope to survivors and shines a light on this hidden crime.

As the UN Secretary-General has urged:

“let us all come together to “detect, protect, and support survivors” and build a future without trafficking”  iraq.un.org.

Be the Change

On July 30, 2025, let’s do more than wear a blue heart or share a hashtag. Let’s honour the day by taking real steps toward a world free from trafficking. We can transform our compassion into action: press for stronger laws, support organisations helping survivors, and educate our communities so that no victim goes unseen. Each small act of justice, every cupcake sold at a Fiversfor Survivors event, every kilometre walked, every dollar donated — adds up to big change in the lives of trafficking survivors.

Modern slavery has no place in Australia or anywhere. This UN Day Against Trafficking, stand with us at The Freedom Hub and thousands around the globe in saying: Enough.

We must use our voices, our resources, and our hearts to fight for freedom. In doing so, we not only restore dignity and hope to those who have suffered, but we also take one step closer to ending modern slavery in our lifetime.

Join the movement and be the spark that helps someone rebuild their life today and every day until everyone is free.

https://thefreedomhub.org/fivers-for-survivors

Sources:

International Labour Organisation business-standard.combusiness-standard.com; Walk Free – Global Slavery Index walkfree.org;  Anti-Slavery International antislavery.organtislavery.org; Australian Federal Police/ABC News abc.net.au.