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Environment
Tuesday September 6, 2022

EU: Tip the scales to put people and the planet before profits

Image credit: Philip Reynaers / Photonews / Justice is Everybody’s Business Time is up for companies profiting from modern slavery and environmental destruction in their global value chains. The E.U. is preparing a new due diligence law, and together with 100 other civil society and trade union organizations, the Freedom United community is mobilizing to ensure the legislation can effectively hold companies accountable.  Activists have taken to the streets of Brussels to make our demands clear. On September 6, the Justice is Everybody’s Business campaign launched with a bang.

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Safer Streets For All white text on street background Law & Policy
Tuesday August 23, 2022

A non-carceral approach to trafficking: Unpacking California’s Safer Streets for All Act

By Jamison Liang, Freedom United and Leigh LaChapelle, Cast The Safer Streets for All Act was signed into law on July 1, 2022 and will come into effect in January 2023. Freedom United and our partner Cast were proud to back the Safer Streets for All Act (SB 357), an essential bill just signed into law in California that will stop survivors of trafficking and sex workers from facing a criminal record simply for walking on the street. It does so by repealing Section 653.22 of California’s penal code — a harmful, archaic law that criminalizes loitering for the intent to engage in

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Solar panels with skyline in background Environment
Thursday August 18, 2022

Anti-slavery and a human rights-centered just transition

The climate crisis is here, and people are feeling the consequences now: water shortages across Europe; wildfires in Spain, Portugal, England and California; devastating floods in South Korea; and the Horn of Africa continues to face the worst drought in over 40 years. This crisis and climate-induced events over the last decade have prompted emergency measures, bills and increasing talk of a “just transition” – the social changes needed to move to a low carbon economy. In October we highlighted how climate inaction is undermining anti-slavery efforts. The consequence of inaction is

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Qatar laborers Forced Labor
Thursday August 11, 2022

A tainted World Cup: justice for migrant workers now

In just over 100 days, the World Cup kicks off in Qatar. The tournament has been marred by a constant stream of forced labor allegations and the exploitation of Qatar’s two million migrant workers. Tasked with building the vast infrastructure and working in hotels and hospitality required to bring the world one of the biggest sporting events, this low-paid workforce is key to ensuring that the World Cup in Qatar is a glittering operation for the estimated one million visitors. Meanwhile, these workers are paid low wages, housed in cramped and dirty living conditions, prevented from

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Ji Hyun Park Anti-slavery activists
Friday August 5, 2022

“The whole country is modern slavery” – an interview with Ji Hyun Park

Few manage to escape North Korea's horrific totalitarian regime. But, under impossible circumstances, Ji Hyun Park escaped twice, enduring a decade-long journey to freedom. The systematic violence and fear inflicted by North Korea's government on its people is well-known thanks to the bravery of defectors like Park who risked their lives fleeing North Korea. Ji Hyun Park is a celebrated author, activist and campaigner for North Korean human rights based in the U.K. She works to raise awareness of the systemic human rights abuses in the country including forced labor, arbitrary detention

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