Here are three things you can do today to help fight modern-day slavery.

1. Get Smart. Read-up on the very latest developments in the global movement to end modern day slavery. FTS Co-founder Kevin Bales helps present a situation report on slavery’s global comeback in the December issue of the Atlantic. The article features the stunning photography of Lisa Kristine, who visited FTS projects in Nepal, India and Ghana to document the human face of slavery today. You can see Lisa talk about her experiences on TED. Also, today on the CNN Freedom Project webpage, there’s a great op-ed by David Abramowitz of the Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST), the coalition of leading U.S. anti-slavery groups that includes Free the Slaves. Sign up for the FTS blog RSS feed, so you’ll know when there’s important news, or friend us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. Buy FTS books that will deepen your understanding of how slavery today can be ended.

2. Get Active: Contact your U.S. Senators and representative in the U.S. House, and ask that they support reauthorization of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA). This law is the cornerstone of the federal government’s anti-slavery work. The 112^th Congress ended last week without renewing this vital commitment to those trapped in modern slavery. We owe it to those victims – and to the many abolitionists who fought and died in the past to outlaw slavery in America – to keep up the fight. A bill to reauthorize the TVPA in the current 113th Congress will be introduced soon. But it’s never too early to let your elected representatives know that this is important. Background on the bill is here. Sign up for FTS newsletters and action alerts so you can stay in the loop.

3. Get Vocal. Share this blog post with your friends, family, coworkers and others. Bring up the subject of modern-day slavery on a coffee break, or at a dinner party, or while you watch the Golden Globes award show Sunday night and the movie Lincoln comes up. (Outlawing slavery didn’t end it. We must finish what Lincoln started.) Let people know that the Free the Slaves website is a valuable repository of facts, maps, history, research papers, films, interviews with slavery survivors, lesson plans for teachers, and more.

Lastly, if you haven’t already done so, please donate to Free the Slaves. Spreading the word that slavery still exists is vital, but so is the innovative community empowerment work that FTS does to help slaves break free and stay free.

If you aren’t able to take action today, no worries. The entire month of January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month (it began with the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, and it ends on February 1 with the 148th anniversary of the 13th Amendment — which enshrined abolition into the U.S. Constitution).

Thanks for taking initiative today – and beyond!

FTS supporters are likely to be familiar with the stunning images of humanitarian photographer Lisa Kristine. She has traveled to the frontlines of slavery to capture the brutality of bondage, as well as the success stories of people breaking free with the assistance of FTS.

Now, tens of thousands are learning about Lisa’s journey—both the physical challenges of crawling hundreds of feet down rickety mines shafts, and the deeply disturbing psychological journey of confronting slavery face-to-face. Her description of the journey is on the TED homepage.

Her TED talk is worth watching! It’s only 18 minutes long, but it’s a powerful testimony that will leave you inspired.

 

Watch it, and then buy the limited-edition Lisa Kristine fine art photography book, Slavery. The book is available now directly from Lisa’s website. Proceeds benefit FTS work to free slaves.

 

Lisa Kristine has seen a lot. She’s traveled the world to photograph remote indigenous peoples.

So she was “floored” at a conference when she heard that slavery still exists in the modern world. She’d never seen it in all her journeys.

Or had she?

You can read about Lisa’s journey of discovery in a new article, “Hidden in Plain Sight,” in the latest edition of Spirituality & Health magazine. Lisa describes how the realization that slaves are all around us burned a hole in her stomach and lit a fire in her heart.

Lisa grabbed her camera and visited FTS frontline operations in Ghana, Nepal and India. Her stunning photos came together in the book “Slavery.” It’s available for sale at Lisa’s website. Proceeds benefit Free the Slaves. (Her photo posted with this story shows gold mine slaves in Ghana.)

You should also read the companion article featuring FTS co-founder Peggy Callahan, “Bearing Witness to Modern Slavery.” Peggy describes the early days of forming FTS, and offers ideas for what everyone can do to take a stand against slavery today.

You may already have seen some of Lisa Kristine’s captivating photographs that feature work of Free the Slaves around the world. Now, you can see Lisa talk about her experiences capturing the reality of slavery in mine shafts, brick kilns and makeshift brothels.

Lisa’s recent TedX presentation is available online. She spoke in January in Hawaii.

Lisa’s collection of images is available in an inspiring book, Slavery. It’s available directly from Lisa’s gallery. Proceeds benefit Free the Slaves.

We’re really close to our goal, with just a few days left to our special campaign. FTS supporters have been answering the call donate the book Slavery to California schools and libraries. You can put us over the top on our Freedom Education Project on Indie GoGo. All donations, big or small, get us closer to the goal.

Now that’s a better way to help educate kids than buying a lottery ticket!

Most kids learn that slavery ended with Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. That’s not entirely accurate. Lincoln helped make slavery illegal. But that hasn’t prevented slavery from still existing.

There are 27 million slaves in the world today – more than any other time in history. Thousands are here in theU.S.Just like inLincoln’s time, slaves are forced to work without pay under threat of violence, and they’re unable to walk away.

Join the pilot phase of our Freedom Education Project on IndieGoGo. Our goal is to donate 27 books about modern slavery to schools and libraries inCalifornia. The books feature the luminous photography of Lisa Kristine, who has traveled to the frontlines to capture Free the Slaves field projects around the world.

See photos from the book in a stunning video at the Freedom Education project webpage.

All proceeds help Free the Slaves fight slavery worldwide.