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Jerwin Royupa was full of dreams and eager to learn new skills when he arrived in Australia to work at an isolated winery in rural NSW.
Five weeks later, the 21-year-old Filipino was dead from injuries sustained when he exited a moving vehicle being driven by his training visa sponsor.
His death has sparked calls to improve the reporting of modern slavery offences and establish a national anti-slavery hotline.
An inquest into his death was told the recent university graduate was exploited by his employer, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.
Coroner Rebecca Hosking has determined that the individual was subjected to grueling conditions, being forced to work 60-hour weeks in manual labor without receiving the promised training or agreed-upon compensation.
The 21-year-old also wasn’t able to access his passport during his time on the vineyard, which increased his concerns about his safety.
An increasingly fearful Royupa fled his employer’s moving vehicle in March 2019 after the man threatened to take him to the police station or airport, the coroner found.
When the migrant was lying unconscious on the road bleeding, his sponsor disparaged him and delayed calling an ambulance before disobeying a request to leave the scene.
Hosking criticized the situation, stating, “His conduct was deplorable.”
She referred the circumstances surrounding Royupa’s death to the Australian Federal Police for further investigation, raising the spectre of possible criminal charges.
“He was a very special young man prematurely lost, not just to his family and friends but to the deeper community,” the coroner said.
She recommended that the federal and NSW anti-slavery commissioners liaise with the Commonwealth, the attorney-general and the Fair Work Commission to consider how to bolster the reporting of modern slavery offences.
In response to such cases, there are calls for the implementation of a national anti-slavery hotline and mandatory training for police officers operating in areas where modern slavery might occur, particularly in remote locations.
The inquest into Royupa’s death is the first in the country to examine concerns of forced labour since modern slavery offences were enshrined in 2013.
Royupa’s family said his death raised concerns about the welfare of migrant workers in Australia and the adequacy of support.
“We know that Jerwin was deceived by a sham training program,” his sister Jessa Joy Royupa said.
“Evidence shows he was afraid of his employer and exhibited multiple indicators of forced labor,” Hosking continued.
She welcomed the referral of the matter to the AFP but appealed to the federal government to do better for migrant workers.
“You have to do much more to keep people who come to work here safe,” Ms Royupa said.
“No family should have to experience the kind of heartbreak we have been through.”
The 21-year-old’s attempts to seek help from government and other agencies in the days before his death were tragically unsuccessful.
Australian Anti-Slavery Commissioner Chris Evans commented on the case, saying, “Jerwin deserved protection and support. Our systems failed to provide it.”
Modern slavery remediation service Domus 8.7 said the inquest was an important milestone for issues of migrant safety.
“This inquest has drawn attention to the vulnerabilities faced by migrant workers who are tied to a single employer and isolated from support,” said service advocate Moe Turaga, who survived slave labour on an Australian farm after coming from Fiji as a teenager.
“The Royupa family have waited for many years for this moment, and we acknowledge the courage and persistence they have shown in seeking answers about Jerwin’s death.”
While she expressed relief at finally having answers after almost seven years, Ms Royupa said they provided no comfort.
“Today is still a sad and painful day,” she said.
“Jerwin was a young man with everything to live for. We all loved him.”
