Nepal, Sri Lanka, Viet Nam, Fiji, and Samoa have all committed to ending child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking through the Alliance 8.7 Pathfinder initiative. A new Free the Slaves analysis of all five finds a consistent pattern: strong policy frameworks, persistent ground-level gaps. The barriers are structural: fragmented data systems, an informal economy beyond inspectors’ reach, dependence on international funding, and limited survivor voice in program design. The next phase of progress won’t come from more roadmaps.

Sustainable change starts with communities leading their own path to freedom. Through a recent training on the Community Maturity Toolkit, Free the Slaves and partners equipped local organizations in India and Nepal with a practical approach to assess progress, strengthen resilience, and build long-term, community-led solutions to prevent trafficking and modern slavery.

Migrant workers in crisis settings often face compounded risks, including restricted mobility, withheld documents, and limited access to information, that reflect deeper structural vulnerabilities in migration systems. Free the Slaves’ community-led approaches, including Migrant Vigilance Committees and the SAFE TIPS Guide, help workers prepare before they leave home, strengthening their ability to navigate uncertainty and reduce vulnerability to exploitation.

In Senegal, communities are coming together to confront one of the most visible yet complex forms of child exploitation: forced street begging among talibé children. A recent forum in Parcelles Assainies brought religious leaders, local authorities, civil society, and community members into a shared conversation about responsibility, root causes, and solutions. Moving beyond dialogue, the forum marked a shift toward coordinated action, with a clear plan to strengthen accountability, support Quranic schools, and protect children with dignity.