Free the Slaves, along with the Alliance Against Trafficking of Women and Children in Nepal (AATWIN) and the Shanti Foundation, have worked on putting together a fact sheet on ‘Modern Slavery in Nepal’ for easy and handy availability of information on modern slavery....
Alliance 8.7 and Accountability Framework Webinar Report On 15 June 2023, Free the Slaves and the Alliance 8.7 secretariat in Nepal hosted a webinar to increase awareness of Alliance 8.7, the Pathfinder countries, and the accountability framework. The target audience...
Free the Slaves and Read Nepal organize Community Liberation Training in Kathmandu, Nepal.
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...
The Free the Slaves Community Liberation Toolkit is a key capacity-building tool to catalyse a civil society movement against slavery. Designed to train frontline field staff in anti-slavery strategies and integrate anti-slavery activities into the work of high-impact...
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...
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,...
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...
The countries where Free the Slaves works (Ghana, India, Haiti, Nepal and Dominican Republic) have not reached peak level in the COVID-19 pandemic. But it is affecting them all, directly or indirectly. And we know from experience that every crisis has an aftermath....
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...
It takes resilience to live in rural Nepal. Mountainous terrain and a lack of roads limit access to healthcare and education. Caste systems and violence against women and children create socioeconomic disparity. Dependence on agriculture and tourism limit the national...
Free the Slaves is thrilled to announce that a courageous advocate for the rights of women and children has joined the organization as executive director. Bukeni Tete Waruzi has helped put a Congolese warlord behind bars, has helped women trafficked into domestic...
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,...
The U.S. State Department says many African governments are doing a better job combating modern slavery. More than a dozen African nations received upgrades in the annual Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP). The upgrades include Ghana, where Free the Slaves has helped...
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...
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report illustrates “the commitment of our country that we have this joint effort underway across the entire United States government” to combat modern slavery. “Human trafficking is as old as...
It’s been a year since the 2015 Nepal earthquake killed thousands and left large parts of the country in ruins. One of the key tragedies of the quake’s aftermath is that human traffickers preyed on desperate and vulnerable Nepalis, causing a rise in slavery cases.A...
Nepal’s labor minister is paving the way for safer, cheaper migration for workers – while protecting women from sexual exploitation and wage theft. Free the Slaves is one of many organizations advocating for strong measures to ensure that Nepalis who leave home to...
What if the response to a natural disaster in the U.S. looked like typical international relief efforts for crises overseas? How effective would it be?“Imagine trying to respond to Hurricane Katrina and having a French NGO, where most of the workers speak French and...
It’s International Women’s Day – a great opportunity to see for yourself how women are confronting and overcoming human trafficking in one of the world’s worst hot spots, Nepal.Seema and Kamala know firsthand how women who are migrating for work can be tricked and...
Police officers in Nepal sometimes respond with indifference to human trafficking cases, impeding slavery survivors’ access to justice.That is beginning to change, thanks to the Free the Slaves front-line partner organization GMSP. It is working with local and...
April's devastating earthquake has created an unfortunate business opportunity for predatory human traffickers. Many Nepalis are still living like refugees. With infrastructure in tatters, families are struggling to get by and parents are distraught over living...
With a new national charter that took effect over the weekend, Nepal has taken an unusual step: banning human trafficking directly in the country’s constitution.This puts Nepal – one of the world’s worst hot spots for modern-day slavery – in the vanguard of nations...
Neelam Sharma and Nirmala Thapa have deeply personal reasons for dedicating their lives to combating slavery in Nepal. They’ve both seen the toll that trafficking inflicts on their country and on people’s lives.“I’ve always wanted to work for the rights of the most...
First the good news: Free the Slaves and our front-line partners are back at work helping Nepalis resist and overcome trafficking and slavery. Two of our partner organizations have more than doubled in size thanks to emergency funding from international organizations...
It’s been two weeks since a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal, and we are learning more details about the severity of the impact on our staff and partners.Free the Slaves Nepal Director Neelam Sharma and members of our front-line partner organizations have been...
Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Nepal, as they recover from the devastating earthquake that struck on Saturday. We are relieved to report that staffers for Free the Slaves and our front-line partner organizations are safe with their families at this...
Two remarkable volunteer filmmakers are on the front lines with Free the Slaves this year to document what freedom looks like. Cassie and Jordan Timpy, a couple from Washington, have decided to donate their skills “for a greater purpose.” They have included Free the...
Google the term “M&E” and you’ll discover it means different things to different people. If you’re a builder, it means mechanical & electrical. If you’re an accountant, it means meals & entertainment. If you’re a filmmaker it means music & effects. And...
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...
It’s an ancient abuse. But it persists throughout the world today. Slavery remains one of the greatest human rights challenges of history. Modern-day slavery looks different than the sailing ships and shackles we learned about in high school history class. Today, it’s...
The team from Stillmotion has wrapped-up filming for their new documentary, #standwithme. The film’s preview is now available online. You can also sign up now to attend premiere screenings of the film in 30 U.S. cities coast to coast early next year! This...
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...
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...
We’ve received wonderful news that one of our Nepali partners, Shakti Samuha, has just won a prestigious award for its anti-trafficking work. It's called the Ramon Magsaysay Award, and it is presented annually for achievements that improve lives and transform...
Nepali officials have begun their first-ever systematic investigation of sex slavery inside Kathmandu restaurants and dance bars. It's raising hope that safety and freedom can be established for women who are secretly exploited and sexually harassed by owners and...
FTS considers all our donors and supporters to be heroes. We’re proud to report that CNN also recognizes one of them as a hero, too. Scott Strode, a longtime friend and supporter of FTS, has been named one of the 10 CNN Heroes for 2012. You can view Scott’s CNN Hero...
When it comes to fighting slavery, creativity and innovation are essential. So Free the Slaves and our frontline partners use art to teach community members around the world about their rights. We’ve found that picture strips are remarkably successful. The images...
In Nepal, we call the news media a “third eye.” They play a vital role in development by minimizing the gap between the public and government. They alert the public by exposing hidden issues. If your group and your cause are covered by the media, there is stronger...
About 50,000 women and girls work in restaurants, dance bars and massage parlors in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. Many of them endure brutal sexual abuse. One tool to ending the exploitation is to educate the country’s community police force to recognize sex slavery and...
Thousands of Nepalis have petitioned their government to adopt the world's primary anti-trafficking treaty. Nepali anti-slavery groups supported by Free the Slaves have mobilized impressive grassroots support for the "Palermo Protocol." The protocol's official name is...
This video, produced by Free the Slaves, takes a big picture look at slavery in Nepal, and how FTS works to end it. We've told you about Human Goods, a magazine-style website that publishes feature-length articles on modern-day slavery around the world. Christa...
UPDATE 2: We did it! Thanks to your support, we hit our mark. $50,000 will go to Free the Slaves Nepal projects. UPDATE: We are just $7,000 away from reaching our goal of $50,000! Every penny counts—today is the last day to have your donation matched! Give the gift of...
Recently, Free the Slaves Partnerships Director Ginny Bauman, accompanied by FTS South Asia Director, Supriya Awasthi visited the work of our partner organization, Women Skill Creation Center (WOSCC) in Makwanpur District, Nepal. Here is her report: Supriya and I...
This video, produced by Free the Slaves, takes a big picture look at slavery in Nepal—and how Free the Slaves partners with grass roots organizations to end it. Learn more about our work in Nepal here, here and here.
Reports came out over the weekend from the United Nations and local media in Nepal, showing that many women are enslaved multiple times. Free the Slaves works with several anti-slavery organizations in Nepal, where poverty forces many to seek employment away from...