A simple act of kindness, like making a donation this tax time, makes a significant impact on the lives of vulnerable young women experiencing or at risk of forced marriage and modern slavery practices.

After losing both parents, Jamilla migrated to Australia as a young girl, hoping for a better future with extended family. Instead, she was subjected to something no child should ever face. Confined to a home, forced to carry out chores for hours on end, denied proper food and healthcare, Jamilla was a teenage girl living in modern slavery.

This didn’t happen overseas. It happened right here in our own country.

One day, Jamilla confided in a schoolteacher and reported the abuse she was experiencing, which included an overseas trip being arranged against her will, a planned forced marriage. Australian Federal Police stepped in following a report from Jamilla’s school, and they connected her with Lighthouse’s Young Women’s Freedom Program: the only program of its kind in Victoria. The young Women’s Freedom Program began in 2018 to support girls experiencing and at risk of forced marriage, modern slavery and other forms of gender-based violence.

With care, compassion, and ongoing therapeutic support of the Lighthouse Care Team, she began to heal. She made friends. She learned to use public transport. She returned to school. And for the first time in years, Jamilla felt safe. She felt free.

*Jamilla is not her real name and image used is an actor. Lighthouse is committed to protecting the safety and identity of children and young people.

The Young Women’s Freedom Program operates without any government funding. We rely solely on philanthropic support to carry out our vital work. Will you help another young woman find safety, freedom, and a place to belong?