Dear Friends of Free the Slaves, HOPE is one of the most important aspects of our mission at Free the Slaves. We bring HOPE to those in slavery. HOPE that they can regain control of their lives. HOPE that they can triumph over oppression. HOPE that their children will...
Please consider adding FTS to your gift-giving list this holiday season. With a one-time donation, or a recurring monthly contribution, you can help people break free from slavery around the world. Trafficking is one of the greatest human rights challenges of our...
If you’ve never had a chance to read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, today is a good time to do it. December 10th is Human Rights Day, a date proclaimed by the U.N. in 1950 to focus global attention on the declaration as “the common standard of achievement...
There is a common myth about the nature of anti-slavery work: that it’s terribly depressing. Actually, fighting slavery is the most joyful experience that you can imagine. Nothing compares to the joy I’ve seen on the faces of families freed from generations of debt...
For former slaves in India, the government’s provision of Rs.20,000 (approximately $333) makes a crucial difference for protecting themselves and their families from being re-enslaved. With these funds, they can buy some land, or livestock, or start up a small shop....
Religious and political figures gathered on Capitol Hill last week to raise awareness about one of the world's most challenging child slavery problems: restavek slavery in Haiti. The Church World Service and The Episcopal Church, in cooperation with Congressman Chris...
I’d like to introduce you to five of the most passionate people I know. They are the Free the Slaves country directors – our key front line activists. They supervise our organization’s fieldwork in the world’s worst slavery hotspots. Why do these courageous staffers...
Arriving at the low caste section of Muchkudi village in northern Karnataka, we were ushered into the meeting space in a tiny Hindu temple. About 60 of us were packed closely together, and the infant sitting beside me gently touched my arm, probably to see what this...
There was a surprise open to trading today at the New York Stock Exchange. Observers had expected the founders and CEO of Twitter to ring the opening bell, which is stock market tradition when a major corporation marks the first day that its stock becomes available to...
It is a familiar story: a child taken, a family frantic for help. But for 24 families in northern India, this time the story has a happy ending. Our inspiring new video shows the boys being rescued, and how spreading information about trafficking and slavery leads to...
Most Americans inadvertently finance trafficking and slavery through the products we buy every day – from cocoa and coffee to cars, computers, carpets, cell phones and clothing. A new website, launched today, helps consumers, investors, policymakers and companies...
Millions of Americans will soon see the poignant story of a man who was ripped from his family in the 1800s and brutalized by a vicious slaveholder before finally breaking free. It’s important to remember that the events depicted in 12 Years a Slave are still...
Today, people around the world are recognizing girls’ rights -- and the challenges that girls face. It's International Day of the Girl Child, an annual observance organized by the United Nations. President Obama has officially declared it to be International Day of...
IMPORTANT UPDATE: the October 5th UNBOUND event in Washington has been moved to Lincoln's Cottage because of the federal government shutdown. You must be pre-registered and bring ID. Free the Slaves will be staffing an info table at the 5th annual UNBOUND event in...
Free the Slaves staffers helped lead an important conference in Peru earlier this month to develop anti-trafficking strategies throughout the Americas. The two-day event was called "Strategic Coordination between Governments and Civil Society for the Integral...
Your ongoing support has helped Free the Slaves move people from slavery to freedom around the globe. I'm hoping that you might volunteer 10 minutes of your time to help us become even more effective. Your impressions about Free the Slaves are extraordinarily...
Question: with so many outlets for activism and fundraising, how can college students actually make a difference in the fight against modern day slavery? Answer: Trivia Night! That’s what Seth Nydam and Robert McKinnon Wilkes have been doing in Pullman, Washington –...
A congressional briefing last Friday on Capitol Hill highlighted many reasons why American companies should be required to disclose if their products are manufactured by slaves or with slavery-tainted raw materials. “Government can help, without being in the knickers...
It isn’t often that all five FTS country directors are in the same place at the same time. But it happened last week in Washington, as our overseas staff briefed the U.S. State Department’s "J/TIP" anti-trafficking team. The presentation was called “Innovations on the...
A U.S. federal court judge has rejected efforts by three leading business associations to block new rules that require American manufacturers to disclose if their products contain slavery-tainted minerals from central Africa. Judge Robert Wilkins of the U.S. District...
Here's a question that people ask us all the time: What can I do myself, right now, to help end slavery? There's a simple answer: host a house party to raise money for Free the Slaves. We have a new tool kit just for that. It's featured on our website. We give you a...
With a “knot” in her throat, Free the Slaves Freedom Award winner Josefa Condori Quispe recounted her ordeal in slavery. “We have to tell this very sad story,” she said. Her personal testimony was a highlight of an Organization of American States roundtable in...
Our friends at Walk Free in Australia have just released a new audio podcast, featuring FTS Co-Founder Kevin Bales, to explain that we all have a stake in ending modern-day slavery. It’s called “Slavery is Not a Game.” The 30-minute discussion is a terrific primer on...
We received terrific news today from our friends at the End It Movement, as they wrap up their campaign. From January 1 through April 9, young activists mobilized across the country to shine a light on modern-day slavery. They raised awareness on a large scale and...
FTS has joined 11 other humanitarian and human rights organizations to urge congressional action on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as security conditions threaten to worsen in volatile eastern sections of the country. “We are at a crucial time for the...
Dear Friends, I recently completed my first 100 days as executive director of Free the Slaves. During my first weeks on the job, I spent most of my time reaching out to stakeholders: staff, board members, donors, peer organizations, policy makers and other FTS...
I’m writing to tell you about an extraordinary man and his remarkable legal clinic in India. The man is Roshan Lal. He was raised in a family of slaves. Now he is free and helping those still in slavery. Roshan’s clinic is a testament to his courage and dedication....
Anticipation is building for the release of this year’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report from the U.S. State Department. The report has become an important diplomatic tool in the fight against modern-day slavery. Businesses also use the rankings to understand the...
Great news from Hollywood this week: We’ve learned that the mtvU Against Our Will Campaign has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award! The campaign has been honored in the “New Approaches” category, in recognition of its innovative techniques to build awareness about...
There’s a terrific online opportunity today at 1 p.m. ET to learn about the loosely regulated world of international labor recruiters, and what needs to be done to stop traffickers from posing as legitimate labor brokers. With millions of people on the move from...
With Mother’s Day fast approaching, here’s a stylish way for your mom to show her love for children everywhere. We have partnered with the sustainable fashion company, Hearts, to create the Free the Slaves Key 2-in-1 necklace/bracelet. Inspired by the Free the Slaves...
One of our goals at FTS is to “mainstream” anti-slavery work. That means getting field workers for charities and development institutions, such as USAID and the United Nations, to recognize slavery when they see it, and take appropriate action.A recent article by FTS...
The End It campaign wants everyone to know that there are 27 million men, women and children living in the shadows. In brothels. In factories. In quarries. Working as slaves. In countries throughout the world, including the U.S. Their two-month awakening campaign has...
President Obama put his signature Thursday onto the cornerstone legislation that guides the federal government’s anti-slavery activities. Reauthorization of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act was included in the renewed Violence Against Women Act. The combined...
There is terrific news to report today. The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA or S.47), which includes the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA or Title XII of S.47). The House vote was 286 in favor to...
Momentum is building to win House approval for reauthorization of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. Our Capitol Hill advocates expect that today will be critical. They need your help. The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) has been...
We need your immediate help to bring a major, three-year anti-trafficking action to a successful close - today! Please call, text, tweet, Facebook or e-mail your representative in the U.S. House. Ask them to vote NO on any proposed floor amendments to bill S.47 -- the...
The U.S. Senate has reauthorized the cornerstone legislation that guides the federal government’s efforts to combat human trafficking and modern-day slavery. Reauthorization of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) passed with overwhelming bipartisan support....
With one big push – NOW -- the anti-slavery movement can get the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) through the U.S. Senate. A vote is scheduled for Monday to attach the TVPA as an amendment to the Violence Against Women Act. Please call, e-mail, Tweet or...
Here’s a stylish way to state your commitment to ending trafficking and slavery. We have just partnered with a new sustainable fashion company called Hearts, to create the Free the Slaves Key 2-in-1 necklace/bracelet. Inspired by the Free the Slaves padlock logo,...
What will you give your Valentine this year? Chocolate? Got it last year. Flowers? They'll last a week. This year, get your Valentine something original, something that lasts, something that changes the world. Give FREEDOM. Click on this link to make a donation to...
Smith Maxime is usually high in Haiti's rural hills, where many poor families choose to send a child away to the city to work as a domestic servant. His job as FTS Haiti Director is to help stop the flow of children. But yesterday, Smith was on Capitol Hill in...
Slavery is one of the greatest injustices of our time. We all know it. But what can you do? You can join a new campaign called End It, which has partnered with Free the Slaves and several other groups. End It is a two-month project that reminds young adults --and...
It’s one of the most important fronts in the battle against slavery: getting companies to investigate their product supply chains to ensure they aren’t using slavery-tainted materials. Today brings a new tool that can help. The Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking...
There are reasons young people end up in slavery today. We’re all vulnerable to harm, one way or another, at one point or another. Traffickers spot these weaknesses, and pounce when they see an opening. The campus video channel mtvU has just launched an amazing social...
Here are three things you can do today to help fight modern-day slavery. 1. Get Smart. Read-up on the very latest developments in the global movement to end modern day slavery. FTS Co-founder Kevin Bales helps present a situation report on slavery's global comeback in...
Abraham Lincoln is famous for getting to the point. His Gettysburg Address was just 274 words long. Next Tuesday marks the 150th anniversary of a somewhat longer, but equally famous Lincoln message: the Emancipation Proclamation. It took effect on January 1, 1863....
Editor's note: The historic anti-slavery concert last weekend in Myanmar, also known as Burma, was made possible by a coalition of organizations, including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). We invited USAID to reflect on what the concert meant for...
If you’ve ever wondered how far FTS co-founder Kevin Bales will go to end slavery, Sunday’s anti-trafficking concert in Myanmar will tell you. He’ll give the shirt off his back to spread the word that SLAVERY SUCKS. That’s literally what Kevin did for Grammy-winning...
Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Jason Mraz will headline a free outdoor concert in Myanmar this weekend to raise awareness about modern-day slavery and trafficking. His performance at the base of the Shwedagon pagoda in People’s Square in Yangon is believed to be the...