Blog
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...
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...
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...
Get Involved
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...
Situation Update: Dominican Republic
The COVID-19 state of emergency and curfew continues in the Dominican Republic as the contagion spreads. Hospitals are full. Government aid has not reached impoverished communities where Free the Slaves works because of discrimination toward residents of Haitian...
Dominican Republic Coalition Joins Court Case against Child Marriage
Free the Slaves and Participación Ciudadana filed a friend of the court brief this week in the Dominican Republic’s Constitutional Court to get child marriage declared an unconstitutional practice that harms girls and permanently affects their rights. The brief, filed...
Our Work
From Fishing Nets to Safety Nets
Emmanuel endured years beneath the blistering sky of Ghana’s Lake Volta. As a child fishing slave, he faced the bare elements in a shoddy open boat. Sharp nets left deep cuts in his fingers. The blurry water left him fearful that he might not survive when forced to...
The Outlaw Ocean: Special Reports in August
Editor's Note: Free the Slaves is honored this month to highlight the investigative reporting of journalist Ian Urbina of the New York Times, creator of The Outlaw Ocean Project. His award-winning series first appeared in the Times in 2015. For the past four years,...
Grandmother Safeguards Five Children through FTS Savings Club
When we visit villages that are targeted by traffickers, we see that modern slavery is, at its core, an economic crime. That's why we were thrilled to hear from an inspiring grandmother named Stella Abrokwah in Arkrah, Ghana. She explained how our Village Savings and...
News
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...
FTS Today on CNN: Stopping Slave Trade in Libya & Beyond
Free the Slaves believes in stopping slavery at its source by changing the conditions that allow slavery to exist. You can read about this important strategic focus today in a CNN.com op-ed from FTS Executive Director Maurice Middleberg. “How to Stop the Slave Trade...
FTS Board Launches Special Funding Challenge
Double Your Impact - Donate Today Dear Friends of Free the Slaves, We’d like to thank everyone who has contributed to making the work of Free the Slaves possible. Your donations are spreading freedom to thousands of people around the globe. All of us on the board...
Americas
Pope Urges Brazilians to Fight Human Trafficking
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...
Courage, Vision and Hope From the Front Lines of Slavery
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...
Latest Fashion Accessory: An App to Learn if Slaves Made Your Clothes
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...
Asia
Scale is Key to Ending Slavery and Promoting Access to Justice
With tens of millions of individuals victimized by traffickers and slaveholders, the world urgently needs solutions that can be effectively and efficiently implemented at-scale in a wide variety of situations. I was happy to see that many of my colleagues in India’s...
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,...
2018 TIP Report Upgrades Several African Countries
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...
Africa
FTS Programs Help Lift Two Countries in 2019 Trafficking Report
Good news today from the U.S. State Department. Both Haiti and Senegal have been removed from the Tier Two Watch List in the annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, an indication that the governments of both countries are increasing their efforts to combat human...
Double the Number of Rescues
It costs $180 to send our new rescue boat onto Lake Volta to liberate 15 children from fishing slavery in Ghana. If you donate $180 (just $15 a month), we can send the boat twice. A generous foundation will match your contributions dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000...
Double Your Impact with our Doubling Down on Freedom Campaign
As chair of the Free the Slaves board of directors, I want to personally let you know that a generous foundation this summer is increasing its support of our work. They’ll match dollar-for-dollar your summertime contributions, up to $100,000. It’s a unique opportunity...