Eighteen year-old Fatima (not her real name) was tricked by her parents into leaving Australia. On board the plane they told her she had to marry a much older stranger. She didn’t want to. They threatened her and took away her passport. The wedding took place behind closed doors. Distressed, she logged onto My Blue Sky, a relatively new website with a secure communications portal funded by the Australian government and operated by Anti-Slavery Australia. Its administrators contacted Foreign Affairs and arranged for a replacement passport. One of Fatima’s friends drove her to the airport. One of Anti-Slavery Australia’s overseas partners helped fund the flight. It was a perilous escape. Much could have gone wrong, but she made it home.Others aren’t as fortunate.
Read the full article at the Sydney Morning Herald.