Sydney, Australia
The Sydney Archdiocese of Australia’s Catholic Church has unveiled a new “one stop” advocacy hub for victims of modern slavery.
Anthony Fisher, the Archbishop of Sydney, says the new service “enables entities or workers to have a safe, confidential conversation about situations of modern slavery and forced labour”.
“It fills a gap in providing readily available support from a formal perspective, emergency assistance and addressing other needs for people trapped in modern slavery or facing exploitation in the workforce,” he said.
Part of a Mass held at Sydney’s St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney, on 8th February, celebrating St Josephine Bakhita, the patron saint of anti-slavery and the nation of Sudan. PICTURE: Giovanni Portelli/Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney
Called Domus 8.7 – Domus being Latin for “home” and 8.7 a reference to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 8.7, inspired by Pope Francis, to eradicate all forms of slavery by 2030, the service is the culmination of a process which began with the establishment of an Anti-Slavery Taskforce in 2018.
Last December the taskforce formed the Australian Catholic Anti-slavery Network, a collaboration of 45 Catholic agencies which have come together in the fight against modern slavery through the provision of worship, education, health services, social services, investment and financial services.
The new advocacy service was created after the taskforce recognised there was still a piece missing in order to truly assist victims: a confidential advocacy service accessible to ACAN member institutions so that they can assist whistleblowers and victims with the best paths to justice and freedom.
Illustrating how the new service will operate, a spokesman for the Archdiocese gives the example of a migrant chaplain “who meets a parishioner who is experiencing modern slavery but has nowhere to turn to for confidential advice and support.”
“They may, for example, be reluctant to approach their embassy or consulate out of fear of jeopardising their visa and are desperately looking for support. The migrant chaplain would then contact Domus 8.7 for help in assisting the victim of modern slavery with access to legal or migration advice,” he said.
ACAN members connect to Domus 8.7 through the anti-slavery taskforce. The organisations will bring specific cases that have come to their attention and then can channel the assistance of interpreters, healthcare services, financial advisers and welfare support to the whistleblower or victim.
There are at least 15,000 victims of modern slavery in Australia, according to the Walk Free Foundation’s Global Slavery Index. Situations in which people are held in slavery in Australia can include forced marriage and debt slavery in which the amount a person is paid only covers their food and lodging. Human traffickers have also exploited Australia’s study visa system, falsely promising such visas to snare young people in labour and sex slavery.
ACAN members are also accountable to the Anti Slavery Taskforce to ensure their supply chains for goods and services are slavery free. Australia’s Modern Slavery Act 2018 compels corporations with consolidated revenue of more than $A100 million to provide annual statements on risks of modern slavery in their operations.
The announcement of Domus 8.7 coincided with a Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral celebrating St Josephine Bakhita, the patron saint of anti-slavery and the nation of Sudan.
Correction: An image first published with this story was captioned as being Archbishop Anthony Fisher. It was actually Auxiliary Bishop Richard Umbers who celebrated the Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral. The image has since been removed.
