We see slavery and trafficking stories throughout the world each week. It’s great news that journalists and bloggers are exposing the problem of slavery, and examining solutions to it. Awareness creates momentum for change. Here are 10 top stories that caught our eye:
1. AOL. “Kevin Bales: Slavery in the Modern Age.”
http://on.aol.com/video/Kevin-Bales-on-Slavery-in-the-Modern-Age-516897243/
2. Associated Press. “Jada Pinkett Smith appears before Congress; speaks against human trafficking.”
3. Philadelphia Inquirer. “Ukrainian gets life sentence for trafficking workers in the US.”
4. NY Times. “China-Police Crack Down on Child Trafficking Rings.”
5. The Hindu. “39 children rescued from traffickers.”
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/article3661298.ece
6. WSJ. “SEC May Toughen Proposal on Minerals Tied to Violence.”
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444097904577537174119903562.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
7. CNN. “Teen’s brothel escape triggers Mexico Clampdown.”
http://www.atlawblog.com/2012/07/federal-jury-convicts-man-on-forced-prostitution-charges/
8. NY Times. “Human Trafficking Report Adds Syria to Failure List.”
9. Dallas Morning News. “SMU Conference Focuses on Innovative Ways to Fight Child Sex Trafficking.”
10. GMA News. “Poverty one of the biggest obstacles in PHL’s fight vs. human trafficking.”
Join the movement against modern slavery! Free the Slaves is looking for motivated volunteers to assist in our Washington, DC headquarters. Volunteers will have the opportunity to contribute concretely to our mission and to learn about the ins-and-outs of managing a global nonprofit organization.
Tasks will be tailored to volunteers’ interests and qualifications—we have work suited for high school seniors and experienced grant officers, and everything in between. Staff will provide training and mentoring for anyone interested to learn about international nonprofit management.
Volunteer tasks may include:
- Planning fundraising, awareness-raising, and academic events
- Assisting with research and implementation of new institutional policies and procedures
- Researching and monitoring slavery and FTS in the international press
- Researching our donor base and potential new donors
- Assisting with communications with existing donors and funders
- Translating academic reports to and from French
- Organizing and archiving Free the Slaves’ historical records
- Managing a donor database and other office logistics
We’re asking for a regular commitment of at least 8 hours per week, for at least 3 months, in our office in downtown Washington, DC.
Applications are available here, and please contact us at blog@freetheslaves.net with any questions.
About Us:
Free the Slaves (FTS) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to ending modern slavery worldwide. Founded in 2000, FTS’ approach to eradicating slavery is rooted in a belief in the power of grassroots social change. We build partnerships with organizations working to eradicate slavery in their own communities around the world; current partners include local anti-slavery organizations in Ghana, Uganda, Haiti, Brazil, India, Nepal and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This partnership work complements and informs our work in the areas of policy, research, slave-free trade and communications, as we strive to eradicate modern day slavery and trafficking. In addition, FTS runs the Freedom Awards, a major annual awards program to recognize organizations and individuals who are demonstrating effective methods for ending slavery. Headquartered in Washington DC, Free the Slaves’ has a satellite office in Los Angeles, California, and operations around the world.
Editor’s note: Alison Leuchtenburg, outreach intern at Free the Slaves was leader of Team Free the Slaves for the Stop Modern Slavery Walk this past Saturday. Below is her report from the event:
Congratulations to our partner DC Stop Modern Slavery for organizing a terrific Walk Against Modern Slavery on Saturday. The weather was perfect, and the turnout was fantastic with over 2000 registered walkers. A special thanks to all of you who joined the Free the Slaves walk team. I was glad to meet so many of you at the resource fair after the walk.
It was truly amazing to see so many people and organizations involved in the fight against modern slavery. Volunteers held signs and shouted slogans along the walk, and there was even one man dressed as Abraham Lincoln.
The resource fair had some great speakers, including Freedom Awards laureate Tina Frundt, who was inspirational as always. There was also live music with Crash Boom Omar of the band Crash Boom Bang, and Lamont Hiebert who is also the co-founder of Love146.
This was a real visual demonstration of how far we’ve come in raising awareness, with over 2000 walkers and more than 20 organizations, all doing their part to fight slavery. Saturday was a powerful sign that the tide is turning, and together, we will end slavery forever.
Even though slavery is outlawed in India, millions are enslaved, many in bonded labor, unaware of their rights. Photo by Robin Romano.
Free the Slaves is looking for Volunteers in the DC metro area to be a part of making history. We have been working with our partners in India to conduct household surveys on debt-bondage. And now, we need volunteers to help sift through all this data.
So on Saturday, November 6 (which is, coincidentally the day before our annual Freedom Awards, taking place in Los Angeles), we are holding Data Entry Day!
What, may you ask, is Data Entry Day? It’s a day when DC area volunteers can be a part of the anti-slavery movement, by helping to bring to light vital statistics that will show which kinds of programs create a sustainable decrease in—and even eradication of—slavery.
When: Saturday, November 6
Time: 10 am to 5 pm. If you can’t make it for the whole day, we would still love for you to help for as long as you can
Place: Location to be decided. It will be somewhere in central Washington, D.C.
Lunch: Probably pizza. Maybe ice cream, too.
This is a very exciting and ground breaking project. Free the Slaves partners Manav Sansadhan Evam Mahila Vikas Sansthan (MSEMVS) and Diocesan Development and Welfare Society (DDWS) are currently conducting surveys in two states: Uttar Pradesh and Bihar—two regions where slavery rates are extremely high. MSEMVS and DDWS both work to eradicate slavery through holistic, community-wide methods. Combined, they have liberated over 1,500 people from bondage.
Read: ‘Varanasi, India: What Does a Free Village Look Like?’
What will this data help us accomplish? We will be able to understand how a community becomes slavery free, and to measure the societal gains that freedom brings.
Contact us today, to volunteer!
Email us at blog@freetheslaves.net with the following information:
Name
Email address
Phone number
Availability (can you come on the 6th all day, part of the day or are you interested in helping on another day if necessary?)
Please be advised you will need to bring a laptop!
Photo by Jason Rogers via Flickr
The count down is on! The Stop Modern Slavery Walk is happening THIS weekend! Will you walk with us?
We are aiming for 50 people to join Team Free the Slaves. We’ve got 11 so far. But we need more! Show your support for the anti-slavery movement—and for the anti-slavery work we do in seven countries. Slavery can end. Join us in the movement!
HANG OUT WITH US AT MAD HATTER IN DUPONT CIRCLE!
For those of you in the DC metro area, stop by the Mad Hatter on Wednesday the 20th of October for free drinks and appetizers—and sign up for the Stop Modern Slavery Walk!
Where: The Mad Hatter in Dupont Circle
When: Wednesday, October 20, 6:00—9:00 pm
What: Hang out and sign up for Team Free the Slaves for the DC Stop Modern Slavery Walk taking place Saturday, October 23
Download the flyer here (PDF)!
If you can’t make it out for a cozy drink and some nibbles, go online to sign up for the walk on Saturday! Go to http://walk.stopmodernslavery.org/, and register. Select “Join a team,” and pick “Free the Slaves”!
For more information on Team Free the Slaves, contact us. See you at the National Mall!
