policy « Free the Slaves

The Free the Slaves Blog provides a platform for dialogue about how slavery affects communities around the world—and what can be done to eliminate it.

Posts Tagged ‘policy’

Investors support the Business Transparency on Trafficking and Slavery Act

Posted by Tawney Bevacqua on January 27, 2012

Yesterday members of Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) and US SIF submitted a letter on behalf of 80 institutional investors, research and investment firms, to Rep. John Boehner (Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives) and Rep. Eric Cantor (Majority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives) seeking support on the Business Transparency on Trafficking and Slavery Act (HR 2759). HR 2759 requires companies that make over 100 million annually to include in their yearly report, actions being taken to identify and address issues of slavery. The read more >

FTS Needs Your Help at the Capitol TODAY: Support the TVPRA

Posted by Karen Stauss on September 21, 2011

Dear abolitionists,

We need your help at the Capitol today.

In July, we asked you to tell your U.S. senators to take a stand against slavery by supporting the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act. Many of you did just that, and 15 senators are now officially sponsoring the bill. Your action brought us one step closer to victory.

Now it’s time to mobilize the House of Representatives. We need them to move quickly, and to make the same improvements in their bill that read more >

Your Voice is Needed: Ensure that U.S. Fights Slavery!

Posted by Karen Stauss on July 21, 2011

You may already know that slavery is connected to you. It’s in the products you buy, the clothes you wear and the car you drive. There are thousands of slaves in America, some hidden from view, others standing on street corners you pass every day.

Ever wonder: What can I do to stop it?

Here’s one simple but vital thing you can do: Call or e-mail your U.S. senators, and urge them to support read more >

State Department: We Don’t Support a Delay in Conflict Minerals Law

Posted by Anne Keehn on March 25, 2011

The State Department has responded to the letter, co-signed earlier this month by Free the Slaves, urging immediate implementation of the conflict minerals law (PDF).

Their response: “we do not support a delay” in the implementation of the law.

The conflict minerals law was signed into action late last year. Bundled in with the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform act, the law requires companies to disclose to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) what read more >

FTS supports swift passage of CA’s Conflict Minerals Law

Posted by Kate Rosin on March 25, 2011

On March 21, Free The Slaves wrote a letter of support to Californian Senator Ellen M. Corbett, applauding her introduction of bill SB 861. A landmark piece of legislation, SB 861 prevents publicly traded companies from obtaining procurement contracts with the Californian State if found by the Securities and Exchange Commission of being in non-compliance with federal law relating to conflict minerals in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Read: FTS co-signs read more >

Debate Swirls about the “S” Word

Posted by Jolene Smith on March 11, 2011

CNN’s coverage of anti-slavery efforts in Uttar Pradesh, India continued yesterday, with Indian Labor Secretary Prabhat C. Chaturvedi (shown in the video below) responding over use of the “S” word in the news reports.

Secretary Chaturvedi disagrees with the use of the word “slavery” to define the problem of bonded labor, which often binds entire families and communities for generations.

Chaturvedi told CNN’s Sara Sidner, “We are aware of the problem of bonded labor, and also read more >

Anti-Slavery PSA Live in Times Square

Posted by Anne Keehn on February 16, 2011

Last week we told you about the groundbreaking anti-slavery PSA that went up in Times Square. Today, we’ve got a photo to show you how massive this ad is!

See for yourself in the photo to the left—or, better yet, if you’re in New York City, go see it live!

The PSA was produced by the Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST), a coalition of U.S.-based anti-slavery groups, of which Free the Slaves is a founding member.

This year, ATEST read more >

UM Legal Clinic Launches Human Trafficking Database

Posted by Anne Keehn on February 4, 2011

The University of Michigan Law School is continuing to be a groundbreaking, legal resource for the U.S. anti-slavery movement.

In 2009, the school opened the country’s first legal clinic dealing exclusively with human trafficking. Directed by Professor Bridgette Carr, the Human Trafficking Law Project (HTLP) and Human Trafficking Clinic (HTC) is a practical testing ground for the implementation of U.S. anti-slavery laws. “Human Trafficking laws are new and untested,” the clinic’s website says. Students who take part read more >

ATEST, Free the Slaves Urges Passages of TVPRA

Posted by Anne Keehn on January 11, 2011

The TVPA of 2000 is, as Amanda Kloer from Change.org says, the “cornerstone of U.S. efforts to combat human trafficking in the United States and around the world.” The law recognizes human trafficking as a crime, provides protections for victims, and helps prevent and eradicate modern day slavery through public awareness programs and international monitoring.

Now, the TVPA is up for renewal. And we need your help to ensure that this important legislation is continued. In partnership with Change.org, ATEST has started read more >

Can We Measure How ‘Free’ a Community Is?

Posted by Amanda Gould on November 19, 2010

In our research, Free The Slaves (FTS) has observed communities formerly in ruins because of slavery and trafficking, stand up and begin to experience freedom. With freedom, exponential improvements in social and economic development along with women’s empowerment begin to occur. This phenomena is known as the freedom dividend and is experienced not only by those no longer enslaved, but by the entire community.

We know that the freedom dividend is real. But until now, there has been no quantitative documentation read more >

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