Blog
Advancing SDG 8.7 in the DRC: Building Capacity to End Child and Forced Labor in the Mining Sector
In Lubumbashi, at the heart of the DRC’s mining region, Free the Slaves (FTS) and Alternatives Plus brought together civil society, government, and mining industry stakeholders for a two-day training on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8.7. The sessions equipped local actors with tools to identify, prevent, and eliminate child and forced labor in artisanal mining—turning global commitments into grassroots action.
Leadership for Liberation: Strengthening Azad Shakti Abhiyan
As part of Free the Slaves’ Community Liberation Initiative, survivor leaders from Azad Shakti Abhiyan gathered in September for a two-day training on Liberation, Care, and Rehabilitation. The workshop deepened their knowledge of trauma-informed care, victim identification, and reintegration—empowering participants to take action against trafficking and support survivor-centered rehabilitation. By investing in survivor leadership, this initiative strengthens grassroots resilience and builds a sustainable, community-driven response to modern slavery in India.
Building Futures in Akure: Survivors Turn Courage into Opportunity
In Akure, Nigeria, seventeen survivors took their next steps toward independence. Gathered for a two-day workshop hosted by Free the Slaves (FTS) and Emmanuel World Children Foundation—with support from the Center on Human Trafficking Research and Outreach (CenHTRO)—they learned new skills, shared experiences, and received tools to rebuild their livelihoods. What began as a training became a celebration of resilience: survivors standing together, leaders listening, and a community committing to sustained empowerment long after rescue.
Shedding Light on Hidden Exploitation: Research Dissemination on Child Domestic Workers in Kathmandu, Nepal
Child domestic labor in Nepal is one of the most hidden and normalized forms of exploitation. Despite legal protections, children from rural and disadvantaged communities continue to be trafficked or sent to work in urban households, where they face long hours, hazardous conditions, and isolation. To shed light on these realities, Free the Slaves (FTS) and CWISH conducted a qualitative study, Life as Child Domestic Workers in Kathmandu, and shared its findings at a dissemination event with government, civil society, and child protection stakeholders. The research highlights urgent gaps in protection and calls for systemic reforms to ensure every child’s right to dignity, education, and safety.
Stronger Together: Building Survivor-led Change in India
Survivors of slavery are not just reclaiming their own freedom—they are leading the charge to protect others. In August 2025, Free the Slaves hosted a two-day training in India as part of our Community Liberation Initiative, equipping survivor leaders with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to prevent exploitation in their communities. From learning the roots of modern slavery to developing strategies for awareness and advocacy, participants demonstrated the power of transformation: once victims, now champions for change. Their stories show how one empowered life can spark freedom for many more.
Free the Slaves Equips Cocoa Communities with Mobile Phones to Address and Prevent Forced Labor
In Cameroon’s cocoa heartland, the fight against forced labor is taking a technological leap forward. Free the Slaves is equipping Community Vigilance Committees in Mbam-et-Kim with mobile phones and training to monitor, document, and respond to exploitation more effectively. This innovation is accelerating reporting, strengthening community resilience, and protecting vulnerable workers—just in time for the high-risk harvest season.
Kédougou Advances Regional Collaboration in Survivor Care and Reintegration
In Kédougou, Senegal, a powerful example of resilience and cross-border solidarity has unfolded. Between August 2024 and June 2025, coordinated operations rescued 20 survivors of trafficking and exploitation—providing safety, care, and a path toward reintegration long after a formal anti-exploitation program had ended. This is the story of how governments, civil society, and international partners worked together to protect lives, restore dignity, and create lasting change.
Inside the Hidden World of Nepal’s Child Domestic Workers
Behind the closed doors of urban homes in Nepal, thousands of children—mostly from rural villages—work long hours in exchange for shelter, food, or a small wage. Often invisible to the public and absent from national statistics, these children face isolation from friends and family, interruptions in their schooling, and in some cases, hazardous labor.
Our new research with CWISH uncovers the pathways that lead children into domestic work, the daily realities they face, and the factors—poverty, lack of rural education, family pressures—that make them vulnerable. More importantly, it highlights the voices of the children themselves and offers actionable recommendations for government, educators, employers, and communities to create safer, fairer futures.
Preventing Forced Labor in Cameroon’s Cocoa Supply Chains Through Local Action
Forced labor remains one of the most urgent human rights challenges of our time—hidden deep within global supply chains, including the cocoa sector in West and Central Africa. In Cameroon, a major cocoa producer, Free the Slaves is working alongside local communities, government agencies, and industry partners to tackle this problem at its roots. Through a new pilot project in four cocoa-growing communities, we are building community-led vigilance systems that can identify, prevent, and address forced labor—ensuring that the cocoa reaching global markets is free from exploitation.