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Thursday November 30, 2023

International Day for the Abolition of Slavery: abolition as an aspiration, not a fact

Ellie Finkelstein

The terms “slavery” and “abolition” are widely recognized as referring to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, and the dates that this institution was supposedly abolished. The history of the slave trade is often taught in timelines, locations on a map, resistance movements, and mentions of historically significant figures. While this horrific history is often referred to in conversations around slavery and abolition movements today, it is often regarded as a fixed moment in time with a beginning and an end – left in the past. However, to thoroughly interrogate systems of

Human trafficking

Thursday October 12, 2023

The U.K. Illegal Migration Act promotes trafficking and is inhumane – full stop.

Ellie Finkelstein

October 18th is Anti-Slavery Day, a day marked to symbolize the importance of raising awareness and the need to eradicate all forms of slavery, human trafficking, and exploitation. Ironically, the U.K. recognizes this day as a national call to action, yet the government is doing more than failing in its stated aspirations. How? By the passing of legislation that undermines efforts to tackle modern slavery and human trafficking and attempts to justify asylum seekers' deportation to a third country. Aiding trafficking, condemning victims The Illegal Migration Act contains some of

Workers with full buckets of fruit pouring them into large crates with an orchard behind them

Forced Labor

Wednesday August 30, 2023

Disability and modern slavery: lack of attention as harmful as deliberate malice

Brendan Hyatt

This is an abridged version of the article originally published on Human Trafficking Search to support the three-part podcast series 'Disability and human trafficking' available on Rethink Freedom. In my recent research, I've delved into the under-explored connection between disability and human trafficking. This overlooked issue came to my attention during my time at Grinnell College in Iowa. I stumbled upon the case of EEOC vs Hill County Farms, a landmark civil case that exposed the convergence of disability and trafficking. The case centered on dozens of

Engraved stone with a message in English to ancestors

Anti-slavery activists

Tuesday August 22, 2023

Remembering, reckoning and repairing: the importance of teaching history for a slavery-free world

The Transatlantic Slave Trade was rooted in race. It solidified the concept of white supremacy and the systematic displacement of millions of Africans. Today, August 23, we remember the 12.4 million human beings that were loaded onto slave ships and carried through the ‘middle passage.’[1] We remember the 1.8 million people who died while on the Atlantic Ocean, who were cast overboard to the sharks that followed the wake of the ships. And we remember the 10.6 million people who survived and were forced into the vicious plantation system that built the Americas. August 23 is

Person outside of a building holding up a sign that reads "economic justice"

Anti-slavery activists

Monday July 31, 2023

Emancipation Day and the call for reparations

Krysta Bisnauth

What do reparations movements look like where you are? Share your comments below! In the Caribbean, August 1 is Emancipation Day, an occasion commemorating the end of the transatlantic slave trade, celebrating the fight for freedom as well as remembering the ancestors who suffered unimaginable cruelties. Although ended almost 200 years ago, for this region, the epicenter of this distinctively brutal enterprise, the legacy of colonialism and slavery continues to reverberate to this day, shaping socio-economic and political landscapes and rendering the region vulnerable to a myriad of