Last Friday, I flew from my home in Miami to Washington to attend the quarterly board meeting of Free the Slaves, one of the most important anti-slavery organizations in the world today. Coincidently, my parents, who reside in Williamsburg, Virginia, were in...
The Democratic and Republican conventions are over, and the 2016 general election campaign is now underway. Party officials at both conventions included planks on human trafficking in their 2016 platforms. Here’s the official language from each:2016 Democratic Party...
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon gets straight to the point: human trafficking is the act of "criminals selling people for profit."It could be anyone. Someone like you could easily be tricked into an opportunity that falsely promises a better life.Which is why we...
Submitted by Houy Chap | Senhoa’s Cambodia-based accountantSenhoa Jewelry Social Enterprise is very important. Many of the girls who [work for Senhoa] come out of bad situations [and] have a very low level of education. Some are illiterate because they have spent much...
Submitted by Jessica Hendricks Yee | Founder of The Brave CollectionEight years ago I was a sophomore at NYU, majoring in, well, storytelling. I passed my days in drama classes, bopping around in leopard leggings and bright lipstick. I was challenged by Brechtian...
Submitted by Malia DesignsMalia Designs is a socially responsible fair trade brand that designs and sells handbags. Our products are handcrafted in Cambodia and every Malia purchase helps to fight human trafficking. The mission of Malia Designs is the same today as it...
Submitted by Starfish ProjectStarfish Project began in 2006, when our founder and CEO Jenny McGee began visiting women caught in exploitation and trafficking. Visiting the shops is truly heartbreaking. It was clear the women had a very real economic need, so we opened...
Submitted by Passion LiliePassion Lilie is a fair trade and ecofriendly fashion brand whose mission is to empower artisans through dignified employment opportunities.This month, we are excited to collaborate with Free the Slaves, whose goals and values align with our...
Submitted by Sarah Lance | Sari Bari Managing and Creative DirectorSari Bari is a freedom business. A freedom business is “business that exists to fight human trafficking and commercial exploitation.” We employ women from two red light areas who want to make the brave...
Free the Slaves has teamed-up with 12 ethical fashion brands for a one-month campaign to raise awareness about modern slavery and to raise funds to end it. Throughout July, we'll be bringing you news of special fashion offers that benefit Free the Slaves. You can...
Not sure what to give the mothers in your life for Mother's Day? Give Freedom! As a tribute to your mom, help free entire villages from slavery in India. Then download our 2016 Mother's Day card and email it to her.Our Mother's Day theme this year is short and simple:...
Free the Slaves has discovered an incredible way to break the back of slavery in the world’s worst trafficking hot spot.We do it by partnering with local organizations in India to strengthen and liberate entire villages. It’s amazing. Everyone breaks free....
Today is an important date in the Catholic calendar. Pope Francis has proclaimed Feb. 8 the “International Day of Prayer and Awareness on Human Trafficking.”The date commemorates the life of St. Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese woman who was kidnapped into slavery in the...
Meet our development team and learn a little more about who we are and why Free the Slaves matters to us!Katherine Carey: Special Projects OfficerWhy this mission matters to me: I still remember the shock I experienced when my mom, a career-long criminal prosecutor,...
People ask me all the time: “What is the single most important thing a person can do to help people escape or avoid modern-day slavery?” The answer is simple. It’s one word. Donate. That’s especially true right now, as we conclude National Slavery and Human...
Over the past three years a group of children and youths in Sacramento, California, has come together to form the Kids’ Freedom Club. The purpose is to free slaves by raising money, educating others about the problem and advocating for change. We’ve raised money by...
Human Trafficking Prevention Month was created to build awareness that slavery still exists and to mobilize action to end slavery once and for all. There are two simple things you can do right now to help.Take International Political Action: Visit the 50 for Freedom...
January is a perfect opportunity to mobilize your friends, family, neighbors, classmates, clients, congregants, co-workers and everyone you know. Join us in January to raise the visibility of slavery as one of the world’s greatest human rights problems. It’s a problem...
This year marks 15 Years of Fighting for Freedom at Free the Slaves. In that spirit, I’d like to share 15 reasons that you should donate to our organization in this special anniversary year.We free slaves. We have liberated more than 10,000 people so far. With your...
There’s one word that defines what Free the Slaves has accomplished in our first 15 years of fighting for freedom: results. With your support, we have helped more than 10,000 people escape the brutal clutches of slavery. And there’s one word we always hear from...
This year marks our 15th birthday and two important milestones. In 15 years, we have helped free more than 10,000 people from slavery, and we’ve educated more than 100,000 vulnerable villagers to help prevent their enslavement. You made that possible. Your...
The U.S. government employs millions of people as direct federal workers and government contractors. If you’re one of them, today is an important day!It’s the beginning of the 2015 Combined Federal Campaign. It’s your chance to help Free the Slaves liberate people...
Free the Slaves Executive Director Maurice Middleberg remembers there was skepticism that polio might one day be fully eradicated in developing countries. But 30 years ago, Rotary International began a global child vaccination campaign that is now close to achieving...
We at Free the Slaves are certain that slavery can be overcome if everybody does their part.There are simple things that you – and even your children – can do to bring us one step closer to slavery’s end.Greyson, a 13 year old Massachusetts boy, has taken his fight...
Mothers play a crucial role in overcoming the brutal grip of slavery. It’s typically the mothers of a village who begin the process of mobilizing their community to break free. And it’s often mothers who organize village watchdog groups to ensure their neighbors stay...
Why climb Africa’s highest peak? Well, first, because it’s there, as climbers say. But most importantly: climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro can help end slavery. Three FTS supporters have just launched a fundraising campaign to help support Free the Slaves. Emma Norton, Neeraj...
Free the Slaves Executive Director Maurice Middleberg loves his job. But he says feeling good is not good enough. For true satisfaction, Maurice says he must know that his work has impact. “I can’t get up in the morning without knowing if we’re making a difference,”...
Last Friday evening, I had the privilege of attending the opening of a new art exhibit in Washington, Bought and Sold, by a longtime friend of Free the Slaves who has photographed our work around the world, Kay Chernush. Beneath the statistics about slavery and...
As 2014 comes to a close, I’d like to connect you to the courageous Free the Slaves country directors and the communities in which they are carrying out groundbreaking work. They are your personal ambassadors of liberation. They have dedicated their lives to...
Free the Slaves has a challenge for you during this holiday season, a unique opportunity to create a chain of giving that reaches across the globe: Give a Gift, Get a Gift. Make a donation to Free the Slaves today, and ask a friend to donate too. Together you will...
Sowji Kilaru dropped by the Free the Slaves office recently to drop off a remarkable donation. She’s president of an organization to harness the creative potential of New Yorkers to make a difference in the world. We asked Sowji to tell us about her group: "We created...
The holiday gift season has begun. Another sweater? What size? What color? Stand in line? Find a parking spot? Make it easy. And make a difference. Give the gift of freedom instead. Give a gift that will help end slavery. It's simple and can be done from your couch:...
We’re all touched by slavery today. It’s in our homes, schools, offices, churches and stores. That’s because many of the 21 to 30 million people in We’re all touched by slavery today. It’s in our homes, schools, offices, churches and stores. That’s because many of the...
Most students learn in school that slavery ended more than a century ago. Of course, that isn’t true. Slavery was outlawed, not ended. Current estimates Most students learn in school that slavery ended more than a century ago. Of course, that isn’t true. Slavery was...
We’re all touched by slavery today. It’s in our homes, schools, offices, churches and stores. That’s because many of the 21 to 30 million people in modern-day slavery make products that we use every day. You can help end it by fighting slavery at its source. A...
Most students learn in school that slavery ended more than a century ago. Of course, that isn’t true. Slavery was outlawed, not ended. Current estimates are that 21-30 million people are enslaved today, more slaves than at any time in human history. To provide...