Remarks by Moe Turaga, Survivor Advocate and LEEP Participant
Moe Turaga with Attorney General Mark Dreyfus
The Salvation Army Lived Experience Engagement Program (LEEP) is funded by a grant from the Australian Government and delivered via The Salvation Army Trafficking and Slavery Safe House
By Moe Turaga, Survivor Advocate
Firstly, let me acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land in which we’re meeting today, the Ngunnawal people their elders past present and emerging.
My name is Moe Turaga, and I am a survivor. I am here to say “Slavery is Cruel”, and my call to action is ‘Let’s put an end to it!’
My voice today is about Support. The tighter the support the stronger the survivor or in my words, ‘Survivors need dignity, not exposure to other forms of slavery.’
Let me expand: When survivors exit the cruelty they have been subjected to, they are absolutely naked in terms of finances, safe place accommodations, food, legal guidance and in some instances, no identity to present to local law enforcement. Language is often a barrier.
What would holistic support look like to a survivor?
Well, this survivor thinks it would include wrap around support provided in a multi-disciplinary, collaborative way.
So therefore creating freedom incubators for people to re-breath, re-educate and be reborn first, is far more important than collecting the evidence that is needed to substantiate their claims or case.
Survivors need support from legal services, community services and clinical services. Each and every survivor will present differently and we need a transparent and simple pathway to follow and guide us to a sense of being free, As we have been imprisoned in prisons without walls.
Listen to survivors’ real stories and don’t judge them on their circumstances. Our legal frameworks need to be patient with us as we re-strengthen ourselves. And please be patient whilst we find our voices as we protect our families from any harm that may arise during our exit from human cruelty.
In creating change we want, and please understand that survivors are also resilient, and we can continue to build our mental resilience as I have done in my advocacy work, supported by Alison, Jenny and now with Claudia, Yvette and Heather, through the guidance of programs like LEEP.
Our Journey in life began with love before people exploited our vulnerabilities
We will teach you to understand us over time.
Trust our voices so we have dignity, not nudity
Trust our voices so we can become stronger and not broken
Trust our voices so we can dream and also live in freedom
Finally trust our voices so we can love ourselves as survivors and as equals. This is the way to empowerment.
This opportunity today presents us a rung on the ladder of true Freedom. Our Voices are stronger when this house looks beyond our pain and helps us with our healing.
So thank you all for this timeframe in history to heal the world of slavery. Let me finish on a personal note with one of my mum’s best advice found in the Apostle Paul’s 1st letter to the Corinthians 13:13
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Alison Rahill, Executive Officer, Anti-Slavery Taskforce and Moe Turaga
Commonwealth National Roundtable on Human Trafficking and Slavery 7 December 2022
