India

Story of a Migrant Worker

Story of a Migrant Worker

Junaid Ansari is a resident of Bhudki village Uttar Pradesh, India, a father of two children, and is 50 years old. Junaid used to work as a carpet weaver in his village but eventually found that this job could not support his family. Junaid searched for a new career...

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Raising Awareness in Schools

Raising Awareness in Schools

“One child, one teacher, one pen, and one book can change the world.” – Malala Yousafzai. Children are like clay. We can mold them into any shape and form just by our actions or our words. If we take the time to educate children, FTS and our partners believe that many...

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Migration Vigilance Committees

Free the Slaves along with our partner organizations MSEMVS and Verite are running The Safe Migration to GCC program in the Mirzapur and Bhadohi districts of Uttar Pradesh. To learn more about the safe migration guide click here. If you’re interested in learning about...

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Using Graffiti to Prevent Modern Slavery

Using Graffiti to Prevent Modern Slavery

The writing’s on the wall – literally. Free the Slaves partner MSEMVS has been painting messages in Indian communities to educate people about the risks of leaving home to find work. Thousands of Indian laborers migrate each year to the Middle East. For many, it’s a...

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Freedom from Slavery Forum Focuses on Asia

Anti-slavery movement leaders across Asia convened virtually via Zoom in August at the first-ever Freedom from Slavery Forum - Asia to discuss issues most pertinent to the continent and set priorities for next year around the theme of “Resilience and Resistance to...

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Why We Have Hope

I have hope as we approach the year-end holidays, and I hope that you do, too. With the many challenges we face in promoting equality and universal freedom in the world today, what brings me hope is the optimism I hear from slavery survivors and their families around...

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Can You Help Promote Safe Labor Migration?

What happens when the promise of a better tomorrow suddenly becomes a nightmare?  The transatlantic slave trade was the largest forced migration in history. For more than four centuries, Africans were kidnapped, sold to slave traders, and forced onto slave ships...

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Help Free Indians Trapped in the Caste System

Are you aware of the caste system in India? If you’re unfamiliar, it is a social structure that divides different groups into ranked categories. A person’s caste determines their social status, their livelihood, who they can marry and where they can live.  In the...

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Grassroots Advocacy Continues via Zoom

The COVID-19 global pandemic has disrupted anti-trafficking work around the world. But the Free the Saves India team has continued to press ahead with vital online advocacy training that builds bridges between communities and government officials. FTS work in India...

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Mass Escape Brings Freedom to India Brick Laborers

The liberation of workers from slavery is a critical part of building a world free from persecution and injustice. In India’s notorious “brick belt,” caste discrimination is a major reason the country is a global slavery hot spot. Free the Slaves is dedicated to...

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The Enslaved Need Your Help on #GivingTuesdayNow

Your generosity has changed lives around the world. The programs you support at Free the Slaves help people learn new skills and start microenterprises that build financial resiliency. Your contributions mean that slavery survivors are less likely to be re-enslaved,...

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COVID-19 Impact on Communities Plagued by Slavery

I hope that you and your family are healthy and safe during these difficult times. I am reaching out to you today to share about how the Covid-19 global pandemic is affecting communities where slavery makes people especially vulnerable to disasters and financial...

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Global Freedom One Community at a Time

Dear Friends and Supporters, I write this letter as I shelter in place amidst the spreading of the coronavirus pandemic. The close tethering to our homes underscores the importance of communities even in today’s hyperconnected world. Likewise, eliminating slavery...

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This is Where Freedom Started

Visiting the front lines of modern slavery is a deeply emotional experience. As I write to you today from Northern India, my heart is filled with hope and joy. That’s because of the joy of freed bonded laborers I have met and the progress that has been made in their...

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20 Years of Fighting for Freedom

The year 2020 brings several important anniversaries. It’s the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Palermo Protocol, the landmark treaty to confront modern forms of slavery worldwide. It’s the 20th anniversary of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, the...

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Our Rights Make Us Human

Former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt once observed that “the future belongs to those who believe in their dreams.” At Free the Slaves, we dream of a future where everyone is free from slavery. Roosevelt believed in that dream too. Freedom from slavery is near the top...

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Double the Number of Slaves Living Free

A single piece of paper can change someone’s life. That’s why Free the Slaves provides vital legal support for people we liberate from bondage. This summer, you can double the number of survivors who receive official documentation to put slavery behind them and resume...

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Ensuring Trafficking Survivors Get Justice

The Human Trafficking Legal Center in the U.S. has a saying: “When survivors have lawyers, survivors have rights.” That’s the key message that staff attorney Sarah Bessell brought to India for a workshop coordinated by her center, the Institute of Social Studies in...

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Small Shop Ensures Lasting Freedom

It doesn’t look like much, just a small wooden grocery stall beside a busy road. But this microenterprise has kept Sunil Kumar free from slavery, now six years after his rescue. Staying free is just as important as breaking free. That’s why the Free the Slaves...

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Community Liberation Initiative Takes Root

Free the Slaves has begun the work of educating field workers at high-impact international development organizations how to liberate entire communities from slavery. This year, we have partnered with READ Nepal, a group that helps villagers improve their livelihoods,...

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Rejecting Racism, Strengthening our Bonds

Every day, the staff of Free the Slaves works in solidarity with local partners and communities to help bring about a more just world. We do so in Haiti, in several countries in Africa, and in Asia. Every day, our staff manifests tremendous dedication and skill. Every...

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Breaking Free and Staying Free

People become enslaved for a reason. And if we don’t change those circumstances, a trafficking survivor is at extreme risk of being enslaved again. That’s why our India team provided Chhatanki with a way to support himself after liberation from a local brick kiln....

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Breaking the Bonds of Slavery, Bit by Bit

Today is the World Day Against Child Labor, and we are proud to share with you a remarkable story of a girl freed from slavery in India. Pooja and her family live in Varanasi, on the banks of the Ganges in northern India. Her parents were trapped in slavery at a brick...

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India Girl Escapes Slavery & Restarts Her Life

Sangita is just 15, but she’s seen a lot. Her parents needed to borrow money from a local brick factory owner, who forced Sangita’s entire family into slavery at the kiln to pay off the debt. Now she is free, and her story underscores how the FTS Community Model for...

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How Mobile Phones Provide Hope to Slaves in India

How do you reach people enslaved in India to inform them that freedom is possible? Call them!Mobile phones are everywhere in India, with 220 million smartphone users throughout the country. Even in rural areas, where access to technology remains low, there is usually...

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A Childhood Rescued from Slavery

Like many children who fall into slavery, Mukhal’s story begins with tragedy. His father died three years ago, when he was 9, leaving his family in a precarious financial situation.Human traffickers are always on the lookout for this kind of vulnerability. One reached...

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Debt-Free Weddings Prevent Slavery in India

Indian weddings are legendary – they are large, loud, colorful, and can last for days. Because it is such a big cultural occasion, families plan the biggest event possible. That expense is how marriage ceremonies can lead to slavery. Helping newlyweds and their...

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