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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

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

A child trafficking survivor’s plea to the U.K. government

Prevention

Tuesday August 2, 2022

Supporting LGBTQ+ survivors

This blog post is reposted from Freedom Network USA. You can find the original post here. How to support LGBTQ+ youth trafficking survivors? LGBTQ+ youth are disproportionately vulnerable to trafficking due to homophobia and transphobia. Many LGBTQ+ youth grow up in unsupportive households, which can cause a traumatic upbringing. Some youth are kicked out of their house or are forced to run away when they come out. This can lead to increased vulnerability due to trauma and/or a lack of housing. Support more LGBTQ+ welcoming or centered shelters When LGBTQ+ youth are kicked out of

Human trafficking

Thursday June 16, 2022

Europe knows what happens to us in Libya

My name is Tesfay* and I was born in Eritrea. When I finished high school, I was made to work as a soldier for the National Service and the Eritrean Airforce. After a few years, I decided to flee to escape the indefinite military service forced on men in my country. This is the story of my experiences in Libya. European governments know what happens to us after the Libyan Coast Guard returns us to Libya. They support them to return us anyway. I want you to know too. The journey I fled to Sudan first, but life was hard there. We were harassed regularly by the police. In 2017, I continued

Anti-slavery activists

Tuesday June 14, 2022

“Until we win”: Domestic workers’ relentless fight against exploitation

“[With the Freedom United] petition I feel like I have people behind me. I feel so strong. […] I feel like people are starting to hear our voice. […] And I hope we don’t stop there, we need to do more and more until we win.” – Lucy Turay, domestic worker campaigner and founder of Domestic Worker Advocacy Network Domestic work is a part of all our lives. Domestic work is childcare, cleaning, looking after the elderly, providing care for those who are ill, cooking, maintaining a home. Domestic work is difficult, requires long hours, is often undervalued and underpaid – and it is