Lived Experience Engagement Program
Survivor voices making change
Why are survivor voices important?
No-one knows better than you about your story of modern slavery. You know what it takes to leave unfair or dangerous situations, to seek safety and to be on your healing journey. You know what has worked and what has not worked so well in seeking justice and a building a good life.
Through your experiences, you have expert knowledge. You could provide advice and leadership in anti-slavery efforts in Australia.
The Australian Government recognises that survivors can assist in preventing, identifying and responding to modern slavery.
You can be a partner in creating positive change, working together to help stop modern slavery and improve the lives of many other victims and survivors. Lived Experience Engagement Program (LEEP) hopes to build survivor leadership across anti-slavery activity.
As people in LEEP say, “Nothing about us, without us”.
What is LEEP?
Taking part in LEEP is a choice to use your voice and your strengths to come together and speak up about change. It is a choice to learn, to support each other and to speak about better systems and practices for people with experiences like yours.
LEEP is a starting point for survivors of all forms of modern slavery who want support to:
- Connect with other survivors.
- Learn ways to work together for positive change.
- Apply for membership on the Survivor Advisory Council, advising government agencies on how to improve systems for victims and survivors.
LEEP is not the right service to help you do things like find a place to live, get a job, manage your health needs, report to police or get advice about your visa. Taking part in LEEP will not help fix your own legal or personal situation. If these types of issues come up during your time with LEEP, we can help you to find assistance as needed.
Who can join the LEEP?
LEEP works best for survivors of modern slavery who:
- Have room in their lives and in their healing journey for this type of activity.
- Want to advise on government decisions that affect a lot of people.
- Are prepared to have well-being discussions throughout their time in LEEP.
Who are survivors of trafficking and modern slavery?
People from any country, culture and religion can become victims of modern slavery, including people who are born in Australia.
For this program, ‘survivors’ are people who have left their situation of modern slavery. You might have had support from services to leave and recover, or may not have had support.
You might have reported it to the police or might not have reported it.
Modern slavery is different to working in a difficult or unfair job. Modern slavery means your freedom and ability to make real choices for your life are taken away, to benefit someone else. It means you have been through one or more of these experiences:
- Deceptive recruitment
- Debt bondage
- Forced labour
- Forced marriage
- Trafficking
- Servitude
- Slavery
Signs of modern slavery
- Tricked and lied to about your work, travel, visa, or relationship.
- Pressured, threatened, or hurt to get you to do what they said.
- Told or made to feel like you did not have the choice to say no to a marriage.
- Made to sign a contract you did not really understand.
- Made to work for little or no money.
- Made to work very long hours with little or no breaks.
- Had your passport or other papers taken away.
- Told you owe them a lot of money so they kept most or all of your pay.
- Told you could not get a job with a different employer.
- Told you could not leave and were watched very closely.
- Forced to have no real choice about your living or working in unsafe conditions.
- Kept secret or held back from the community.
- Tricked or forced to have sex or to take drugs.
- Tricked or forced to do illegal things.
- Made to rely on the person or business for all your needs.
- Made to feel guilty if you did not want to do as they said.
- Felt very confused and distressed about your situation.
- Told that if you left, the police would not believe you, would put you in jail, or would make you leave Australia.
- Made to get married when you were under 18 years old.
- Farm work
- Building industry
- Work in retail stores
- Cafés, restaurants, catering, hotels
- Cleaning companies
- Factory work
- Work in private homes
- Personal care, massage or nail bars
- Aged care
- Sex services
Modern slavery also includes:
- Forced marriage or the risk of forced marriage.
- Servitude happening within the home, within relationships.
How does LEEP work?
LEEP walks beside people who want to explore how they can take part in change.
It is a free program and supports people to:
- Prepare and take part in meetings
- Debrief after meetings.
- Have an interpreter in your language.
- Learn with a consultant psychologist, in groups and individually.
LEEP also covers travel and childcare costs while people are participating in the program.
How can I get involved?
All LEEP participants start here. Connect and Grow will run throughout the LEEP program.
Meetings will be a mix of learning and social time together. They will usually run for 2-hours every 2-weeks. The meetings are mostly online. Some activities will be an essential part of the program, while others will be your choice to attend.
People will:
- Create their own goals and plans.
- Connect with other survivors and grow together.
- Have opportunities to learn about self-care, voice and leadership, government plans to stop modern slavery, and how to influence government agencies and others who are working for rights and freedom.
Any person taking part in LEEP can choose to apply to be a member of the Survivor Advisory Council (SAC) in mid-2024. The SAC will meet with the Attorney General’s Department and other government agencies at least four more times until April 2025.
Meetings run for 3-hours and are mostly online. You will be supported to prepare in a group and one-to-one meetings if you prefer. Preparation happens in the weeks leading up to the meeting.
SAC members will be paid for their work on the Council.
In 2023, SAC were consulted about the National Action Plan to Combat Modern Slavery 2020-2025. Topics included:
- The review of national laws about modern slavery.
- The awareness and training of frontline officials about trafficking and slavery.
- How to include and work well with survivors in anti-slavery efforts.
- What justice and remedy for survivors should look like.
There were also opportunities to speak at the modern slavery national conference and the National Roundtable on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery.
In 2024 and 2025 a new schedule will be made to include government agencies’ and survivors’ interests.as
What are some benefits and challenges of taking part in LEEP?
Taking part in LEEP could help you to:
- Become more confident about your abilities and decisions.
- Work as a team and feel stronger with others around you.
- Feel you have a purpose and can take action and make a difference.
- See you are not alone and lessen feelings of shame about what happened to you.
Taking part in LEEP could lead you to face some challenges, such as:
- Remembering times when you were not safe and bring up painful feelings.
- Meeting people who do not understand your trafficking and slavery experiences.
- Becoming discouraged at times when things do not go to plan.
- Understanding there is no guarantee you will achieve the change you want to see.
How did LEEP start?
The Australian Government funded The Salvation Army to support people with experience of criminal labour exploitation to give advice about how to better address modern slavery and support victims and survivors. LEEP formed in 2022 with six people who have experienced criminal labour exploitation. They went on to form the first Survivor Advisory Council (SAC).
LEEP will now include people who have been in any kind of slavery or slavery-like situations (including forced marriage). The program will continue until June 2025, to grow and take part in further consultation with the Australian Government.
Contact us
For more information contact LEEP on leep@salvationarmy.org.au or call on 1300 473 560