Human Trafficking

 Friday Night Event

On the Friday night of the I'll Fight Conference we will be having a discussion on 'Human Trafficking: Perspectives from the Field'. There is a panel of guest speakers who have worked on the frontline of trafficking in Australia.

Note: This event can be attended as apart of the whole conference or as a stand alone event. See registrations for price guide and to register, or if you would prefer to pay on the night just RSVP to ill.fight@aue.salvationarmy.org 

Presenters for the evening:

FIONA DAVID – The Research Expert

Fiona David is an independent consultant, specializing in trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling.  Fiona currently works as: Research Expert, Trafficking in Persons with the Australian Institute of Criminology; and as the Research Coordinator for the Asia Regional Trafficking in Persons project, an AusAID project seeking to improve the criminal justice response to trafficking in persons in South East Asia.  Fiona's other recent assignments have included with the UN Office of Drugs and Crime to draft a Model Law that any country can use to ensure its laws are in line with the UN Migrant Smuggling Protocol; and to review national laws on migrant smuggling in thirteen Eastern African countries.  Fiona also volunteers with the Salvation Army’s Courtyard Legal Service.

Fiona’s publications include:

New threats or old stereotypes? The revival of 'trafficking' as a discourse
Fiona David. History of Crime, Policing and Punishment conference, 1999

Human smuggling and trafficking : an overview of the response at the federal level
Fiona David, 2000

Law enforcement responses to trafficking in persons : challenges and emerging good practice
Fiona David, Australian Institute of Criminology, 2007

Labour trafficking: Briefing on recent AIC research
Fiona David, Research Expert, Trafficking in Persons, Consultant to the Australian Institute of Criminology

LUKE GEARY - The Human Rights Lawyer

Luke is a Solicitor & Barrister of the Supreme Court of NSW and of the High Court of Australia.  Luke is also a registered migration agent.  Luke holds Bachelors degrees in arts and laws, and a Masters degree in law. 

Until 24 December 2009, Luke was a partner of national law firm Mills Oakley, practising in litigation in the building and construction industry with a specific focus on acting for insurers and government organisations, as well as in trust and general commercial litigation in the Supreme Court of NSW Equity Division.

Christmas Eve, 2009, was Luke’s last day as a partner of a commercial law firm, as he resigned his partnership to follow a calling to work for The Salvation Army.  This wasn’t such a new concept for Luke, as in August 2005 he founded a free law firm known as ‘Courtyard Legal’ through The Salvation Army at Auburn, NSW.  In March 2008, Luke opened a second firm for Courtyard Legal at The Salvation Army, Parramatta.   

Since August 2005, Courtyard Legal has had approximately 60 volunteer Solicitors, Barristers, Paralegals (consisting of both University Graduates and current students) and other assistants.

For nearly 5 years, Luke and his team have advised and represented approximately 1,200 people who couldn’t otherwise afford a lawyer on matters usually involving criminal law, family law, debt, housing, welfare and Children's Court matters (both crime and care applications).  There is also a significant African, Middle Eastern and Asian presence at Auburn and Parramatta, many of whom seek Luke’s advice and assistance on Migration and Refugee matters (including representation in the Refugee Review Tribunal and the Federal Court). 

Courtyard Legal exists as the law firm for people marginalised from access to professional legal services. 

Luke has been working to represent clients of The Salvation Army’s Safe House for Trafficked Women since 2008 as a migration agent and solicitor.  In 2010, Luke successfully settled a civil prosecution for damages before the Industrial Relations Commission of NSW on behalf of a trafficked woman against her former captors, obtaining damages arising from several years of domestic servitude.  This and other cases that Luke is running on behalf of Safe House residents are landmark cases in the field of civil litigation for trafficked persons; obtaining justice for the victims and empowering them to re-commence their lives.  Luke also assists residents and non-resident men and women with their migration issues, including a large volume of trafficking cases resolved through the family violence provisions. 

Luke remains a current appointee to the NSW Legal Aid Commission panels for both Criminal and Family law. 

Luke is also employed as General Counsel to The Salvation Army Australia Eastern Territory and has commenced a national roll out of Courtyard Legal, with a view to expanding the Courtyard Legal (soon to be know as Salvos Legal) model into other territories around the world.

 Articles highlighting the work of Courtyard Legal

Freedom’s Tears 3 September, 2009

Salvo’s Reach Out to the Top End of Town, 5 April, 2010, ABC Radio 7:30 Report

Profile of Luke Geary in Lawyers Weekly

JENNY STANGER - The Community Activist

In 1997, Jenny was introduced to the human trafficking through one of the most important cases of human trafficking in America, the El Monte Sweatshop.  In response to slavery in her community, she co-founded the Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST) along with her colleagues in Los Angeles. Jenny worked as a case manager and advocate for survivors of human trafficking and slavery at CAST until 2004. During this time she advocated for the passage of the U.S. Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 through media advocacy, congressional testimony and policy advocacy. She is a founding member of Freedom Network USA, a national advocacy network and directed the Freedom Network Institute on Human Trafficking, a collaborative nationwide training and technical assistance program delivered to thousands of government and non-government personnel in 23 American cities.  In 2003, CAST opened the first refuge for trafficked women in America. 

Jenny relocated to Australia in 2005 and co-founded the Anti-Slavery Project in the Faculty of Law at the University of Technology Sydney.  In 2007, Jenny became the Supervisor of Australia's first Safe House for women who have experienced human trafficking, slavery and/or slavery-like practices, a project of The Salvation Army.  The Safe House provides accommodation and specialised intensive services to 10 women at a time.  Jenny and the staff also provide limited assistance to non-residential clients, including men. The Safe House is supported entirely though community donations made to the Red Shield Appeal.