New guide helps healthcare workers spot signs of modern slavery

A new guide has been launched to help healthcare workers identify and respond to signs of modern slavery, a pervasive issue that affects thousands of people in Australia. The resource, designed by experts and people with lived experience of modern slavery, aims to equip healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills to recognize the often-invisible bindings of modern slavery.

Sarah, a survivor of modern slavery, has used her experience to inform the guide. She was trapped in debt bondage for several years before escaping six years ago. "In the time I was being exploited, I would end up in emergency departments, sexual health clinics, GP offices," she said. "But they weren't really able to understand what was happening to me and I wasn't able to tell them because I didn't have the right words and didn't feel safe enough to talk."

NSW Anti-slavery Commissioner James Cockayne said modern slavery was a complex issue that required a nuanced approach. "These days it's not physical shackles that are used to restrain people," he said. "It's manipulation, coercion, often under the cover of a contract."

The guide includes signs healthcare workers can look out for, such as another person inserting themselves into the patient's care, or the patient referencing ongoing debt or repayment obligations. It also provides trauma-informed questions and information on where to turn if a person is believed to be a victim of modern slavery.

Jennifer Neil, deputy chair of the RACGP's Specific Interest Group in Abuse and Violence in Families, said modern slavery was a health issue as much as a social issue. "It causes significant health problems that can cause, obviously, injuries …" she said. "But also mental health problems and chronic psychosomatic problems, such as chronic pain."

Dr Neil said GPs were well placed to recognize signs of modern slavery because they came into repeated contact with patients over time and could identify patterns. The guide is expected to be rolled out soon at locations across the state.

According to the NSW Office of the Anti-slavery Commissioner, it is estimated that about 16,400 people are trapped in modern slavery in NSW, with the national number believed to be about 41,000. Dr Cockayne said this was a significant problem that required a concerted effort to address. "That's a football stadium of people who are in this situation right now," he said.

Sarah said she hoped the guide would make it easier for the next person to break free. "I think we all have this perception that we're a person, we have choices, we have freedom," she said. "But when that's taken all of a sudden, that really challenges everything about the way that you see the world."

If you need support, contact 1-800 FREEDOM or 1-800 373 3366.