Speak free

What we're talking about right now.

Tuesday June 7, 2022

Questioning our assumptions about child labor

It’s the time of year again when emotive and resolute messages about stamping out the evil of child labor begin to pop up suddenly on your newsfeed: June 12 is World Day Against Child Labor. You’ll likely be hearing about how we have just three years left to meet the well-intentioned goal of eliminating all child labor by 2025, as set out in Target 8.7 of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The Freedom United community actively campaigns to protect children from exploitation, including trafficking and modern slavery. As people join this cause, they often

Law & Policy

Thursday May 12, 2022

Joint Letter to President Biden Re: Thailand’s Abusive Draft Law on Not-For-Profit Organizations

May 12, 2022 President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. The White House Washington, DC Re: Thailand’s abusive draft law on not-for-profit organizations Dear President Biden, We, the undersigned non-profit organizations, are writing to express our serious concerns regarding Thailand’s Draft Act on the Operations of Not-for-Profit Organizations, which the Thai Cabinet approved in principle on January 4, 2022. Passage of this draft law would systematically violate the rights to freedom of association and freedom of expression of non-profit groups, so we urge you to call on the Thai

Child Slavery

Thursday April 21, 2022

Climate and cocoa: why an anti-modern slavery movement is talking about the environment

At the time of writing, almost 180,000 people within the Freedom United community are calling for change from major chocolate companies. Those changes include a call for an end to deforestation and a rapid reduction of pesticide usage. So why is an anti-modern slavery community pushing for improved environmental protection policies in the cocoa sector? Drivers of the climate crisis and hazardous child labor are mutually reinforcing Pesticides endanger children The cocoa sector has become more dependent on pesticides in recent decades as a means of increasing yields. As a result,

Law & Policy

Wednesday April 20, 2022

FAQ: The UK Business, Human Rights, and Environment Act

Jamison Liang

Ready for ethical supply chains free from modern slavery, human rights abuses, and environmental harm? So are we. Freedom United and our partner Corporate Justice Coalition (CJC) are campaigning for a game-changing new law — the Business, Human Rights, and Environment Act. Below is a primer on principal elements of the law we're calling for and why it is crucial for the UK is to hold abusive corporations to account and provide access to justice for victims. Why do we need a new corporate accountability law? Negative human rights and environmental impacts are embedded in the supply

Slavery-Free Goods

Wednesday April 6, 2022

The Chocolate Scorecard: Putting more ethical chocolate on the menu

Whether we’re celebrating or commiserating, chocolate is a sweet and familiar companion for many of us. But when we take the time to learn about cocoa’s global value chain, the social and environmental costs it currently entails leave a bitter taste in our mouths. The reality is that the chocolate industry’s current business model leaves cocoa farmers living below the poverty line. To meet production demands and lift themselves out of poverty, farmers often turn to using children as a cheap labor source. Many children working in cocoa carry out hazardous tasks, such as