The below case studies reflect real cases that have been reported to and investigated by the AFP and prosecuted by the CDPP.
You can find more information about these cases by searching key terms on the AFP’s Media Releases website or CDPP’s Case Reports website.
Examples of the indicators present in each case have been highlighted in each story.
Individuals and organisations can use these examples in training materials on identifying indicators of modern slavery.
Case study – Forced labour
A Melbourne man was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months’ imprisonment for forced labour offences. The man coerced a person to work 14-hour days for 2 consecutive years under threats of deportation. During the first year of employment, the person was only permitted one single day off. The labour also included out-of-business domestic duties, including cleaning and gardening of the man’s home. In this case, prior to consenting to receive support, the person was offered assistance, including referral to the STPP at an earlier stage; however this was declined.
Full sentencing remarks can be found on the County Court Victoria website.
Examples of some indicators in this case:
- Worked excessively long shifts, with no breaks and no days off.
- Forced to perform domestic labour.
- Not being paid appropriately for work.
- No access to proper medical care, instead being provided with pain medication and forced to keep working.
- Subjected to violence or threats of violence against themselves and loved ones, especially relating to their visa status.
Case study – Forced marriage
A young woman in Victoria was forced into a marriage set up by her family. Members of her family allegedly threatened and coerced the woman into participating in the marriage, a marriage she did not consent to. The AFP met with the woman, who declined offers of assistance. The young woman eventually took part in the forced marriage, and later became a victim of homicide at the hands of her husband. Her mother was sentenced to 3 years’ imprisonment for orchestrating the forced marriage.
Full sentencing remarks can be found on the County Court Victoria website.
Examples of some indicators in this case:
- Not believing she had a final choice over who she could marry.
- Went on a trip that she did not return from.
- Expressed that she did not want to marry.
Case study – Servitude
A Victorian couple were sentenced for intentionally possessing a person as a domestic slave and exercising powers attached to the right of ownership. The woman was recruited from overseas in 2007 on a one-month tourist visa to provide domestic services at the couple’s home in Melbourne, as a means to support her family in India. The court heard that the woman was stripped of her passport upon arrival and forced to work up to 23 hours a day; cooking, cleaning and caring for their children. She was subjected to physical and verbal abuse, and was not allowed to return to India when her health was deteriorating in 2013. In 2015, an emergency call was made for medical attention as the woman was found barely conscious in a pool of urine on the bathroom floor, weighing 40 kilograms and suffering hypothermia, altered consciousness, urinary sepsis and untreated type 2 diabetes. The woman was later admitted to hospital under a false name.
Full story and sentencing remarks can be found on the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions website.
Examples of some indicators in this case:
- Forced to live in the same place that she was working.
- Could not voluntarily leave the place where she was kept.
- Deceived about and forced to stay in poor living and working conditions.
- Received minimal to no food and water.
- Forced to work long hours with limited breaks and no days off.
- Experienced physical and verbal abuse.
- Deceived about the nature of the work.
- Limited and controlled interactions with own family.