Sowji Kilaru dropped by the Free the Slaves office recently to drop off a remarkable donation. She’s president of an organization to harness the creative potential of New Yorkers to make a difference in the world. We asked Sowji to tell us about her group: "We created...
The holiday gift season has begun. Another sweater? What size? What color? Stand in line? Find a parking spot? Make it easy. And make a difference. Give the gift of freedom instead. Give a gift that will help end slavery. It's simple and can be done from your couch:...
We’re all touched by slavery today. It’s in our homes, schools, offices, churches and stores. That’s because many of the 21 to 30 million people in We’re all touched by slavery today. It’s in our homes, schools, offices, churches and stores. That’s because many of the...
Most students learn in school that slavery ended more than a century ago. Of course, that isn’t true. Slavery was outlawed, not ended. Current estimates Most students learn in school that slavery ended more than a century ago. Of course, that isn’t true. Slavery was...
Editor's Note: We thought you'd like to read a remarkable presentation by our Executive Director, Maurice Middleberg. Our thanks to St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Boca Raton, Florida for inviting Free the Slaves to spread the word about slavery today. October 30,...
We’re all touched by slavery today. It’s in our homes, schools, offices, churches and stores. That’s because many of the 21 to 30 million people in modern-day slavery make products that we use every day. You can help end it by fighting slavery at its source. A...
Most students learn in school that slavery ended more than a century ago. Of course, that isn’t true. Slavery was outlawed, not ended. Current estimates are that 21-30 million people are enslaved today, more slaves than at any time in human history. To provide...
We were slaves of the Pharaoh We, as Jews, grow up with this phrase. The passage from slavery to freedom is at the very heart of our story as a Jewish people. Everything we are – our sense of shared community and common heritage - stems from breaking the chains of...
With your help, this year Free the Slaves will come within range of achieving a historic milestone for our organization: 10,000 people freed from slavery. In addition, this year we will support more than 45,000 people with education and empowerment programs. These...
Many children in informal mining communities in Ghana are forced to work in mines under dangerous conditions: carrying heavy loads and handling mercury to extract gold from ore. Young girls who go to these mining communities to sell food and water are often sexually...
Modern slavery. It's a global challenge that we all know needs to be solved. But the issue is so broad that it can be easy as individuals to think that we can't do anything about it. Anti-slavery veteran Matt Friedman from the Breaking the Links Campaign is working to...
Today is the official day for raising awareness around one of the greatest human rights challenges of our time: human trafficking. The United Nations has marked July 30th as the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. This day aims to educate people about human...
This week may bring key votes in Congress responding to the increase in child refugees entering the United States from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Some of these children are fleeing widespread slavery in their home countries. But one of the policy revisions...
Editor's Note: Many FTS contributors are embracing The Power of 12 by scheduling automatic monthly donations. This form of support is especially valuable since it helps us know that a regular level of funding is coming, avoiding the risks of boom-and-bust cycles in...
It's hard for consumers to know which of the products we buy are tainted by slavery. But that could change, if you want it to. U.S Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) have introduced the Business Supply Chain Transparency on Trafficking and...
Every day we see how the power of community can liberate entire villages from slavery around the globe. That is why we're asking our community of supporters to come together to take a powerful stand. Our goal is simple: we want to raise $350,000 by the end of 2014 and...
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says "no government, anywhere yet, is doing enough" to eradicate slavery, and "zones of impunity" exist around the world that allow trafficking to flourish. Kerry’s comments came as he unveiled the State Department’s 2014 Trafficking...
No consumer wants to buy products made by slaves. And no investor wants to support companies that use slave labor. But it’s extraordinarily difficult for shoppers or stockbrokers to know which products or companies may be tainted by trafficking. U.S. Rep. Carolyn...
The world’s attention shifts to Brazil today, where Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull will open the FIFA World Cup tournament with the song Ole Ola (We are One), and soccer teams will begin competition to determine who is the world’s best. But far from the soccer stadiums, a...
What do you call a room full of international development professionals? A golden opportunity! And that opportunity unfolds this week as InterAction hosts its 30th Annual Forum in Washington. For the first time, Free the Slaves will be on hand as an InterAction member...
What if you had no choice but to send your child away, hoping she'd be fed, go to school and be safe? What if you found out that instead she was held against her will, abused and forced to work? No father wants to send his daughter to be enslaved as a maid in another...
The #bringbackourgirls hashtag has sparked widespread revulsion over the kidnapping of Nigerian girls who might be sold into bondage, including congressional resolutions condemning the group Boko Haram. While hashtag activism and expressions of outrage are important,...
The House of Representatives approved a range of proposals Tuesday to combat sex slavery in the U.S., including training for police to recognize trafficking cases and treat victims appropriately, a ban on advertising sex for sale with children, and an initiative for...
Unchosen, an anti-trafficking charity that organizes film campaigns to combat modern slavery in the U.K. and Ireland, is launching its 2014 Short Film Competition. The aim is "to challenge what people choose not to see.”“The more people that know about the matter,...
Wherever Free the Slaves works, there are poignant and inspiring stories of women who would give anything to protect their children from slavery. In Nepal, Lucky was forced to leave her daughter behind when she escaped enslavement in an Indian circus. She set in...
If the battle against slavery hasn't reached your faith community yet, it may be coming soon. A major global faith initiative to end modern-day slavery is taking root. Leading religious representatives and the Walk Free Foundation signed a groundbreaking agreement...
We've just completed our 2013 year-end review, and the results are both impressive and inspiring. In partnership with local organizations around the globe, we helped free more people from slavery last year than ever before. Here are the numbers from our frontline work...
It isn't every day that a child slavery survivor from Africa is a featured speaker at a congressional briefing. But this week, Capitol Hill witnessed the award-winning advocate and child trafficking survivor, James Kofi Annan, speaking alongside long time anti-slavery...
The Jewish people have a special connection to the curse of slavery and to its eradication. At the heart of our history is the Exodus. “ Avadim hayinu – We were slaves,” the Torah teaches. At Pesach, we rightly relax and celebrate the freedom we enjoy. But the fight...
April is an important month for many faith communities, with Passover and Easter coming soon. So I'd like to encourage you to join us at Free the Slaves in reflecting on the important connection between faith and freedom. If you belong to a church, synagogue, mosque...
Slavery is probably not something you associate with MTV. But think again. MTV has been running an awareness-raising project about slavery: MTV EXIT. The network is helping combat human trafficking through innovative campaigns to inform young people. The newest...
Free the Slaves is excited to announce our new partnership with two e-commerce giants! Now you can support the work of FTS when you buy or sell products through Amazon and eBay. The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5 percent of the purchase price from your...
Free the Slaves is excited to announce the opening of an exclusive auction that benefits FTS frontline work! Gillian Anderson, who appeared most notably in X-Files and Last King of Scotland, is generously auctioning off the chance to meet her on the set of THE FALL in...
Not many people would consider the pope to be a fighter, but if it is against human trafficking, then you can count Pope Francis in. The National Catholic Bishops Conference of Brazil this week launched their 51st annual Brotherhood Campaign. This year, the 2014...
The global celebration of International Women's Day on Saturday, March 8th serves as both a reminder of how far we've come and how far we still have to go. Today, women are at the forefront of the global abolition movement. But unfortunately, women and girls represent...
Shine a Light on Slavery Day has arrived! Today we come together to give voice to a conversation that expresses the power of freedom. Today is the day to make anti-slavery awareness go viral. Join the END IT campaign. Draw a red X on your hand and share a photo of it...
Get your red markers ready. This Thursday is Shine a Light on Slavery Day! On February 27th, you can become a part of the international movement to end slavery by signaling to the world that you won’t stand for it. Here's how you can take action to stand for freedom...
It takes a special kind of person to fight for freedom and justice in dangerous hot spots where slavery still thrives. It takes a resilient and resourceful spirit to assist impoverished and marginalized people in their struggle to break free. But that's the job...
I'm pretty sure that Abraham Lincoln would want you to throw a party this month. Honest. Not to commemorate his birthday, February 12th, but to help finish the job he is most famous for starting: freeing the slaves. That's why I'm writing today. I hope that you...
Readers of the FTS blog already know that 21-30 million people are enslaved worldwide today. But what can you do to end it? The new Free the Slaves Take Action Card includes easy and quick steps to create the social change that will help end slavery. From 10 seconds...
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) opened today's Free the Slaves and Broward College human trafficking conference this morning with a call to action. In a video message, Rubio called on the public to pressure Congress to pass The Strengthening the Child Welfare Response...
Have you ever wondered if the shirt on your back -- or that new one on the rack -- may have been made by slaves? Now there’s an app for that. FTS frontline partner group Repórter Brasil has launched a free application for smartphones that evaluates popular clothing...
People who have endured the brutality of slavery are often the best ones to ask about how to end it. Five survivors brought their firsthand experiences to Capitol Hill this morning for a briefing on what the U.S. government should do. Survivor Sandra Woworuntu, who...
In you live in South Florida, this event next Thursday is for you! In recognition of National Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking Awareness Month, Broward College, in partnership with Free the Slaves, will host a day-long conference titled “Human Trafficking: Exposing...
This month marks the official re-launch of End It, the campaign to shine a light on slavery. End It began last year as two-month public awakening project to remind young adults they have resources to fight slavery, such as spreading the word through social...
Two years ago, President Barack Obama delivered the longest presidential speech on slavery since Abraham Lincoln. In his address to the Clinton Global Initiative he committed to three steps to strengthen the fight against human trafficking. First, he promised to...
Last Saturday, I was standing on hallowed ground. As I rose to speak to hundreds of people gathered for a benefit concert at Plymouth Church in Brooklyn, I had to take a deep breath. That’s because on that very spot, 150 years ago, anti-slavery activists were...
TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE SATURDAY, JANUARY 11: Plymouth Church will be hosting a benefit concert for Free the Slaves. Join an all-star lineup, including The Impressions, Naomi Shelton, members of The Dap-Kings, The Gospel Queens and the Inspirational Voices of the...
Brooklyn hosts two important anti-slavery events next weekend that will shine a light on trafficking and the innovative methods FTS has developed to fight it. SATURDAY, JANUARY 11: Plymouth Church will be hosting a benefit concert for Free the Slaves. Join an...
What can you do to end modern-day slavery? Take action in January by spreading the word that slavery can be overcome. Here are some ideas for how you can help: Tell your relatives, coworkers, classmates, colleagues and neighbors. Play a Free the Slaves video at your...