Mary Martinez was at a bustling train station in Sydney’s eastern suburbs when she first suspected she had been duped. With suitcase in hand, Martinez* watched as a sleek black Mercedes rolled towards the kerb. “I bet you’ve never been in a car this nice,” said the driver as Martinez slid her bags across the back seat. A 19-year-old from Los Angeles, Martinez was no stranger to luxury cars and was used to this type of casual racism resulting from the colour of her skin. She gave a weak smile and settled into the soft leather seat as they drove to what would become Martinez’s new home and her own private hell.
Over the next two years, Martinez would work as an au pair (the job she had signed up for), as well as a cleaner, event planner, photographer, personal chef, photo editor and waitress. She would be paid below minimum wage, care for kids with special needs without any training, have tax deducted from her wages that would never reach the ATO, work long hours with little to no time off and be emotionally and psychologically abused daily.
“When you think of abuse, you always think of a partner or family,
