Speak Free

Friday March 13, 2020

Our executive director shares thoughts on coronavirus & modern slavery

Joanna Ewart-James

It’s hard to deny that the effects of coronavirus or Covid-19 are wide-reaching, as drastic attempts to reduce its impact become ever more widespread. But what about the impact on modern slavery? Like many areas of life, the coronavirus has affected the effort to fight it – next week’s My Story, My Dignity workshops are cancelled as is a planned 107,511 strong petition hand-in, led by Payzee Mahmod, to the British Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street. As a direct result of measures to control the spread of the pandemic, the factors that make people vulnerable to modern slavery are incre

Female Empowerment

Monday February 17, 2020

Bangladesh film screening brings attention to labor issues in garment industry

On Thursday night, Freedom United supporters gathered in New York City for a screening of Rubaiyat Hossain’s new docudrama Made in Bangladesh, co-hosted with our partners at the United Nations Association of New York. The film follows a group of women working in exploitative labor conditions in one of Bangladesh’s fast fashion factories. When Shimu, the headstrong protagonist, discovers that she earns pennies sewing clothes that sell for high prices in Western markets, she leads her coworkers in a struggle to unionize and demand their labor rights. Made in Bangladesh depicts

Survivor Stories

Friday February 7, 2020

Imagine your worst experience. How would you want your story told?

In January the Freedom United team ran its first My Story, My Dignity workshop at the Faith and Anti-trafficking conference organized by the Universities of Sheffield and Leeds. Led by our team members, Joanna Ewart-James and Miriam Karmali, and collaborating photographer Jeremy Abrahams, the workshop focused on giving participants practical skills to represent modern slavery with accuracy, respect and dignity. My Story, My Dignity was the first campaign launched under Freedom United. It began by calling on large media houses to show the importance of treating modern slavery survivors’ sto

Forced Labor

Thursday January 16, 2020

France and Côte d’Ivoire make a strong commitment to ending forced labor

Freedom United gathers roundtable discussion in New York UN staff and NGO workers came together today for a lively roundtable discussion on international commitments to ending forced labor. The event was organized by Freedom United and hosted by the Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations in New York. The Permanent Representative of France, H.E. Nicolas de Rivière, and the Deputy Permanent Representative of Côte d’Ivoire, H.E. Tiemoko Moriko, made opening remarks along with our Advocacy Officer, Herrana Addisu. Both countries stressed their countries’ commitment

Other slavery

Friday January 10, 2020

Debunking common myths about human trafficking

It is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month and Freedom United is raising awareness this January by debunking some common myths about human trafficking and modern slavery. Human trafficking is one form of modern slavery amongst others, such as debt bondage, forced marriage, and child slavery. According to the Palermo Protocol, trafficking is defined as “recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons […] through threats, use of force or other forms of coercion […] for the purpose of exploitation. The Global Slavery Index estimates that there ar

Forced Labor

Wednesday December 18, 2019

International Law on Forced Labor (C29)

International Labour Organization (ILO) Forced Labour Convention 29 (C29) was introduced in 2014 to update the outdated 1930 Forced Labour Convention No. 29. How did the Forced Labour Protocol come about? International laws against forced labor have actually existed for more than 90 years. The Forced Labour Convention of the International Labour Organization (C29) was created back in 1930 to protect workers around the world. But according to estimates, more than 40 million people today still live in modern-day slavery. The Convention didn’t achieve its goal. It has outdated language, ga

Law & Policy

Tuesday December 17, 2019

Could you live on £37.75 ($49.69) a week? The public reacts

We want to know what you think – leave your thoughts in the comments below! Migration is a natural part of human existence with 258 million and are thus prevented from sustainably rebuilding their lives and recovering from their experiences in any meaningful way. By lifting the ban on asylum seekers’ right to work, the UK would create an environment in which migrants vulnerable to exploitation have the freedom to enter legitimate employment and enjoy the same labor rights and protections as every other worker. We firmly believe that everyone should have the right to work and an opportuni

Forced Labor

Thursday December 12, 2019

Latin American countries discuss national commitments to end forced labor

Freedom United promoting global standards in New York Campaign Update November 16, 2020: Costa Rica has officially ratified the Forced Labour Protocol Statment from Costa Rica’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Rodrigo Carazo Zeledón: Last year on the ocassion of the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, Costa Rica made a firm commitment to fight against modern slavery and forced labour in our country by accepting Freedom United's call to action to ratify the International Labour Organization's Forced Labour Protocol. I am proud to say that last week, Costa Rica became the 46th

Victories

Monday November 25, 2019

A First for Freedom United

Our inaugural fundraising dinner, The STAND Gala, exceeded expectations earlier this month in Raleigh, NC. What do you usually do on a Friday night in early November? It’s too far from the holidays and prime time for avoiding responsibilities. After a long week and overcast day, with the sun down early and a chill wind settling in, you could be forgiven for gorging on takeout and staying rooted between your couch and TV. But on the night of November 15, 2019, hundreds of people in Raleigh, in the United States, did the exact opposite. They shrugged off the da

Anti-slavery activists

Wednesday November 13, 2019

Global supporter survey findings: how did you rate your government?

The results of the Freedom United Global Supporter Survey are here! We asked you to rate your government’s response to modern slavery and speak out on what you believe needs to change. We were thrilled by the thousands of supporters who took the time to complete the survey — thank you! So which country was rated the highest? The lowest? Take a look below at the global summary of responses. We’ve highlighted countries where we had the highest number of responses, as well as some of the most thoughtful comments from around the world. How long have you been part of the Freedom United