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Freedom United event 'Taking the trafficking out of sex work' Law & Policy
Friday February 12, 2021

Q&A from Freedom United’s online event ‘Taking the trafficking out of sex work’

On February 3, Freedom United hosted an online event with an expert panel of speakers exploring how to build resilience to sex trafficking. We're grateful to our panelists, Professor Nick Mai from the University of Newcastle, Esta Steyn from Be Slavery Free, Nadia Whittome MP, Charlotte from the English Collective of Prostitutes, Mariah Grant from Sex Workers Project and Megan Hector from DecrimNow, for taking part in this important discussion. We were impressed by everyone who joined in the discussion and with over 200 people tuning in live, we received many questions! So, we’re

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Robert Kraft: A case study in caution for the anti-trafficking sector Law & Policy
Wednesday February 10, 2021

Robert Kraft: A case study in caution for the anti-trafficking sector

Nearly two years ago, Robert Kraft made national media headlines. The owner of the New England Patriots had apparently been linked to a massive, multimillion-dollar sex trafficking ring spanning from Florida to New York, where authorities claimed immigrant Chinese women working in massage parlors were trafficked, brought to the United States under false promises of legitimate spa jobs, only to be forced to provide sexual services to customers on the side. The media and a curious public descended on Orchids of Asia Day Spa, a small massage shop tucked away in a strip mall in Jupiter,

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Other slavery
Monday February 1, 2021

Calling on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) to divest from prison slavery

This Black History Month, we are calling on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) to divest from Aramark Company, a food service company that has well-documented links to forced labor within prisons.  On July 21, 2020, we wrote to HBCU colleges that have contracts with the company calling on them to divest from Aramark. We have only heard back from Spelman College, who are considering our request.   Today, we are reiterating our call to action alongside Be Better Belmont asking the colleges to divest and take leadership within the movement to end modern slavery in

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payzee mahmod Activists
Friday January 22, 2021

Welcoming campaigner Payzee Mahmod to the Board of Directors

Freedom United is delighted to welcome Payzee to its Board of Directors, effective January 13, 2021. Payzee Mahmod is already familiar to many of our supporters as she leads Freedom United’s campaign to help end forced or coerced child marriage by criminalizing marriage under the age of 18. In the UK under 18s can get married with the permission of their parents which facilitates parental coercion. Payzee Mahmod is a powerful speaker and advocate, a campaigner against child marriage and FGM, who is currently serving with IKWRO – Iranian and Kurdish Womens Rights Organisation and as

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Other slavery
Thursday January 21, 2021

Calling on Universities to divest from prison slavery

You probably know that the United States did not abolish slavery with the 13th Amendment. Involuntary servitude remains legal as punishment for a crime. However, even those who are not convicted of crimes – including immigrant detainees – have allegedly been subjected to forced labor behind bars. The U.S. public and private prison and immigration detention industry continue to exploit profit from inmates, particularly people from black and brown communities. They are, in effect, trafficked into the prison industrial complex. That is why we are partnering with Be Better Belmont, a

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