Survivor experts in Guatemala moved from testimony to training to a seat at the policymaking table this month. Free the Slaves reports on a week of advocacy training, high-level government meetings, and a new coordination agreement with Guatemala’s anti-trafficking secretariat.
Guatemala marked World Day Against Child Labor with an Informational Fair that drew more than 400 participants, including Vice President Karin Herrera and senior Ministry of Labor officials rallying around the ILO’s 2026 theme: “Show Child Labor a Red Card.” Free the Slaves was there alongside survivors whose advocacy is pushing Guatemala’s national Roadmap toward meaningful improvements.
Survivor participation in anti-trafficking work has become a widely accepted principle. What remains harder to achieve is making that participation genuinely meaningful. Drawing on field evidence from Guatemala and Bolivia, Free the Slaves joined the UNODC and the Organization of American States in Vienna to share what the work actually requires.
In May 2026, survivors of child labor in Guatemala stood before government officials and spoke. With support from Free the Slaves, survivor representatives brought eight concrete recommendations to Guatemala’s national child labor commission, demonstrating what inclusive policymaking looks like when the people most affected are treated as essential voices.