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Anti-Slavery

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An independent collective whose mission is to bring change-makers together to raise awareness for modern slavery as a global epidemic

About Us

There are an estimated 40.3 million people in modern slavery around the world, including:

10M Children

24.9MPEOPLE IN FORCED LABOUR

15.4MPEOPLE IN FORCED MARRIAGE

4.8MPEOPLE IN FORCED SEXUAL EXPLOITATION

Global estimates of modern slavery: forced labour and forced marriage (2017)

“Almost three quarters of migrants attempting to cross the Central Mediterranean have experienced exploitation and human trafficking”

INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION FOR MIGRATION

Someone is in slavery if they are…

Forced to work – through coercion, or mental or physical threat
Owned or controlled by an ’employer’ – through mental or physical abuse or the threat of abuse
Dehumanised – treated as a commodity or bought and sold as ‘property’
Physically constrained or have restrictions placed on their freedom of movement.

– ANTI-SLAVERY INTERNATIONAL –

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We met on the bus on our way to a school trip and

We met on the bus on our way to a school trip and knew at once that this was just the beginning of a life-long friendship and adventure!

After following each other around the world, then to Newcastle University, and into our careers. In 2012, we went on a trip to Kolkata, India. Here, we visited an organisation called Women’s Interlink Foundation and first became aware of modern slavery. Aloka Mitra , the founder of Women’s Interlink, rescues girls from modern slavery, gives them a home and teaches them a simple vocational skill – fabric printing.

We were shocked to discover the extent to which slavery still exists. In fact, there are more enslaved people today than at any other point in history and, at any one time, someone is being trafficked within a mile of where you live. We often associate slavery with chains and shackles, but modern slavery is a hidden crime that is often hard to detect.

We spent the next 5 years educating ourselves. We became obsessive investigators and would visit anyone who could help us expand our knowledge; from policy makers, law enforcement agencies and academics, to NGOs, social workers and survivors. We asked everyone we encountered, ‘what can two young girls like us do to help?’ Without fail, the answer was always raise awareness. So this became our mission.

In 2017, we proudly launched The Anti-Slavery Collective.

Today is #AntiSlaveryDay It provides an opportu

Today is #AntiSlaveryDay

It provides an opportunity to raise awareness of human trafficking and modern slavery, and encourage government, local authorities, companies, charities and individuals to do what they can to address the problem.

Stayed tuned as we spend this week educating you on modern slavery and celebrating the work being done by some amazing organisations.

#ModernSlavery #HumanTrafficking #ForcedLabour

Would you know if you were a victim of modern slav

Would you know if you were a victim of modern slavery? Would you be able to spot the signs in other people?

Next week is Anti-Slavery Day and we'll be educating you on the different types of modern slavery and how you can stop it!

#modernslavery #forcedlabour #labourexploitation #antislaveryday2021

"I had a very abusive childhood. Then I met a man

"I had a very abusive childhood. Then I met a man who treated me with respect. But he got me addicted to drugs and demanded I make money through prostitution. He branded ‘Property of …’ on my groin, then sold me to a drug gang. I was tattooed three more times by traffickers. The first time I got a tattoo covered up, I knew I was going to set myself free. That’s why I started helping other survivors to get their brandings covered up." - Jennifer, USA

After escaping enslavement, Jennifer founded the NGO Suvivor's Ink to connect survivors to resources and to cover the marks of ownership and violence given to them by their traffickers. Traffickers and abusers commonly use tattooing, burns, or scarring to claim ownership of a victim’s body. Survivor's Ink runs a tattoo scholarship programme in which women who have lived through modern slavery, and have been clean and in recovery for more than six months, can apply to get their tattoos covered up. Sadly, Jennifer died in May 2017, but her legacy continues through Survivor’s Ink.

According to ILO and @walkfree, there are an estimated 3.8 million victims of forced sexual exploitation around the world. 99% are women and girls.

Quote and photo: @Guardian

#EndSlavery #ModernSlavery #SexTrafficking

Where does #modernslavery happen? From constructio

Where does #modernslavery happen? From construction sites, farms, and homes to hotels, boats, and car washes, it can happen anywhere.

Here’s how you can raise awareness for #modernslavey:

👉 Raise awareness: Share what you have discovered and encourage others to take action. Tell your family and friends about modern slavery. Use your social media to join the conversation.

👉 Report: If you ever suspect someone is a victim of modern slavery, call the modern slavery helpline on 08000 121 700 if you're in the UK or download STOP APP on your smartphone.

👉 Support anti-slavery organisations: COVID-19 has presented huge difficulties to the operations of anti-slavery organisations due to a lack of fundraising opportunities, volunteers, and prioritisation. Even the smallest of donations goes a very long way, especially for grassroots organisations, who have been proved essential, but underfunded, during this pandemic.

How do you build a slave-free closet? Support eth

Myth: Forced labour doesn’t affect me. Fact: Fo

Myth: Forced labour doesn’t affect me.

Fact: Forced labour affects everyone.

Learn the truth behind other myths on modern slavery from 50 for Freedom at the link in our bio ⬆️

TODAY we remember the life of abolitionist #Willia

TODAY we remember the life of abolitionist #WilliamWilberforce, born on this day in 1759.

A significant influence behind the founding of The Anti-Slavery Collective, @princesseugenie honored Wilberforce in 2016 by laying a wreath 💐 on his grave and attending a commemorative service at Westminster Abbey.

His legacy and words live on today: "You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know."

TODAY is #WorldHumanitarianDay 🌎 According to

TODAY is #WorldHumanitarianDay 🌎

According to the @unitednations, “This day was designated in memory of the 19 August 2003 bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, killing 22 people, including the chief humanitarian in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. In 2009, the @unitednations General Assembly formalized the day as #WorldHumanitarianDay.

Each year, #WHD focuses on a theme, bringing together partners from across the humanitarian system to advocate for the survival, well-being and dignity of people affected by crises, and for the safety and security of aid workers.

This year, @unitednations is highlighting the immediate human cost of the climate crisis by pressuring world leaders to take meaningful climate action for the world’s most vulnerable people.”

Click the link in our bio to help #thehumanrace ⬆️

Words: @unitednations

“Before Ferda was trafficked into the UK from th

“Before Ferda was trafficked into the UK from the Czech Republic, he had been living on the streets for two years with no income, after falling into depression when his wife died. He was in his early sixties. He had lost touch with his children and so gladly accepted the help of a man who befriended him, offering somewhere to live and a part-time job. The subsequent promise of better work in the UK also sounded like a good opportunity.

‘I was working 12 hours a day, six days a week – for very little.’

Upon arrival in the UK, Ferda was told that he had to pay his traffickers back for travel. He worked more than 12 hours a day, six days a week in factories around England earning about £300 a week. He didn’t see much of this money as his trafficker demanded large amounts to repay debts and for accommodation. Ferda’s major health issues, including severe heart problems, back and foot pain, and depression were exacerbated by the long working hours and stress of debt repayment.

Once his health became a liability and he could no longer perform his job, he was evicted and left on the streets. He went into a hostel, where they recognised him as a trafficked victim and referred him to the @salvationarmyuk.”

Click the link in our bio to learn more about Ferda and how the @salvationarmyuk is supporting survivors of modern slavery ⬆️

Words: @salvationarmyuk

How much do you know about #modernslavery? Accord

How much do you know about #modernslavery?

According to @iloinfo and @walkfree in 2016, there were 5.4 victims of modern slavery for every thousand people in the world.

To learn more, click the link in our bio ⬆️

At the #GenerationEquality forum in Paris this sum

At the #GenerationEquality forum in Paris this summer, our co-founder, HRH Princess Eugenie, and The Anti-Slavery Collective announced an advocacy commitment to support the #UNFT over the next five years to advance their goal of increased awareness and funding for #WROs.

Pictured here, HRH Princess Eugenie visited two #UNTF grantees in September 2018 in Belgrade, Serbia, working to change the lives of survivors of modern slavery: Atina and @astra_antitrafficking.

To learn more, click the link in our bio ⬆️

Today, a landmark climate report by the IPCC has w

Today, a landmark climate report by the IPCC has warned that the target for limiting global heating set out in the Paris agreement is slipping beyond reach.

In @antislaveryinternational's report, From a Vicious to a Virtuous Circle, they outline that climate change increases vulnerability to modern slavery.

As changing weather patterns affect food and water security, drive migration and ruin economies, millions of people are being made vulnerable to exploitation.

Click the link in our bio to read the report and learn more about the relationship between climate change and modern slavery.

#climatechange #globalwarming #ipccreport #climatecrisis #modernslavery

Do you know that tattoos are still being used by t

Wednesday Wisdom: “What counts in life is not th

Wednesday Wisdom: “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” - Nelson Mandela, Former President of South Africa and Philanthropist

MODERN SLAVERY STORY: Khawng Nu, 26 “There are

MODERN SLAVERY STORY: Khawng Nu, 26

“There are few job opportunities, so when a woman from her village offered her work in a Chinese factory, Khawng Nu accepted the offer. However, upon arriving in China, Khawng Nu quickly learned that she had been deceived. The situation wasn’t at all what she was told it would be.

Khawng Nu had been trafficked to birth babies, a type of trafficking that accounts for 20 per cent of the trafficking of women in Myanmar. Khawng Nu recalls seeing more than 40 women on the floor of the building where she was kept, some as young as 16.

‘They give pills to women and inject them with sperm for them to carry babies for Chinese men,’ explains Khawng Nu. They were beaten and bullied at any sign of resistance.

Once the baby was born, the women would supposedly receive 1 million MMK (USD 632).

Khawng Nu managed to send a message home to her family, and, with the help of community leaders, the trafficking broker in her village was arrested, although he refused to disclose Khawng Nu’s location.

Eventually, Khawng Nu’s family was able to gather enough money from neighbors to pay the ransom for her return. When she came home to her village, Khawng Nu shared the names of other girls she had met in China with local authorities, and five were rescued and brought back.”

Read the full story at the link in our bio ⬆️

Let’s #endhumantrafficking together.

Words: UN Women (@unwomen)
Photo: UN Women (@unwomen) / Stuart Mannion

YESTERDAY was #WorldDayAgainstTraffickinginPersons

YESTERDAY was #WorldDayAgainstTraffickinginPersons 🌎 Our co-founders, @princesseugenie and Julia de Boinville, hosted events leading up to the world day to raise awareness for human trafficking. Catch up with our events:

➡️ Head to our IGTV to watch our co-founders’ interviews with the authors of “Half the Sky,” @nickkristof and @wudunn, and the director of “Taken: Hunting the Sex Traffickers,” Peter Beard.

➡️ Scroll through our recent posts to learn more statistics about human trafficking. For example, did you know that human trafficking earns global profits of roughly $150 billion a year for traffickers?

➡️ Click on the Instagram Highlight “WDATIP ’21” to hear our co-founders answer your questions about human trafficking.

Let’s #endhumantrafficking together.

Interview with Peter Beard, Director of Taken: Hun

Interview with Peter Beard, Director of Taken: Hunting Sex Traffickers. The Anti-Slavery Collective co-founders, HRH Princess Eugenie and Julia de Boinville, interview Peter Beard who recently directed the documentary series Taken: Hunting Sex Traffickers.

Taken: Hunting the Sex Traffickers, is the inside story of a secret police investigation into a human trafficking gang. Filmed over three years, in Britain, Brazil and Europe, specialist officers try to take down the gang's elusive leader.

Watch it on channel 4 now: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/taken-hunting-the-sex-traffickers

How much do you know about #humantrafficking? Acc

How much do you know about #humantrafficking?

According to @humanrightsfirst, human trafficking earns global profits of roughly $150 billion 💰a year for traffickers.

Let’s #endhumantrafficking together.

Interview with Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.

Interview with Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Our co-founders, @princesseugenie and Julia de Boinville, interview @nickkristof and @wudunn on their book Half the Sky, one of the early inspirations for The Anti-Slavery Collective.

For more information on Nick and Sheryl and their Half the Sky movement, visit their website: http://www.halftheskymovement.org

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT World Day Against Traf

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on Friday, 30 July 2021:

➡️ @unitednations announced that the theme is: Victims’ Voices Lead the Way.

➡️ The theme puts victims of human trafficking at the centre of the campaign and will highlight the importance of listening to and learning from survivors of human trafficking.

➡️ The campaign portrays survivors as key actors in the fight against human trafficking and focusses on the crucial role they play in establishing effective measures to prevent this crime, identify and rescue victims and support them on their road to rehabilitation.

Let’s #endhumantrafficking together.

Words: United Nations (@unitednations)

Stay tuned this week in the lead up to World Day A

Stay tuned this week in the lead up to World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on Friday as our co-founders, @princesseugenie and Julia de Boinville, will be hosting interviews, sharing research and answering your questions throughout the week.

Let's #endhumantrafficking together.

Did you know that 1 in 4 victims of modern slavery

Did you know that 1 in 4 victims of modern slavery are children. Here are some other stats you might not know:

👉 Nearly 1 in 10 children across the globe (around 152 million) are subjected to child labour (ILO and @walkfree).

👉 Worldwide , almost 20% of all trafficking victims are children (@unitednations).

👉 Before the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 100 million girls were expected to marry before their eighteenth birthday in the next decade. Now, up to 10 million more girls will be at risk of becoming child brides as a result of the pandemic (@unicef).

#childlabour #forcedlabour #childtrafficking #slavery

Today is Nelson Mandela International Day. Mande

Today is Nelson Mandela International Day.

Mandela's long walk to freedom and tireless fight for social justice greatly inspires us to also take action and create a better world.

Nelson Mandela devoted his life to the service of humanity — as a human rights lawyer, a prisoner of conscience, an international peacemaker and the first democratically elected president of a free South Africa.

#Freedom #MandelaDay #NelsonMandelaDay #NelsonMandela #Inspiration #Equality #Justice #HumanRights #EndSlavery #ModernSlavery #EndHumanTraffickign #HumanTrafficking

A few weeks ago our co-founder, @princesseugenie,

A few weeks ago our co-founder, @princesseugenie, had the opportunity to speak to students at the Students Opposing Slavery annual summit, hosted by @lincolnscottage.

Students Opposing Slavery is an award-winning program by President Lincoln's Cottage that empowers students to join the fight to end modern slavery. HRH Princess Eugenie spoke to the students about her journey co-founding The Anti-Slavery Collective and her hopes for the next generation of abolitionists.

Click the link in our bio for more information about this fantastic youth initiative!

THROWBACK to July 2019 when our co-founders, HRH P

THROWBACK to July 2019 when our co-founders, HRH Princess Eugenie (@princesseugenie) and Julia de Boinville, joined Ambassador John Cotton Richmond, the former United States Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, on a visit to the grave of William Wilberforce to learn more about the historical journey of British abolitionists.

In addition to events like this that connect people from across industries help raise awareness for modern slavery as a global epidemic, The Anti-Slavery Collective also:

➡️ Visits grass roots organizations and spends time with survivors

➡️ Raises awareness through social media

➡️ Hosts thought leadership events

➡️ Shared resources to educate and inspire people to take action, big or small

➡️ Encourages conversation around technology playing an increased role in detecting and prevent human trafficking

How much do you know about #modernslavery in the U

How much do you know about #modernslavery in the UK?

According to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), “In 2019, 27% of the 10,627 potential victims of modern slavery referred to the NRM were UK nationals.”

TODAY is #WorldPopulationDay 👤 According to th

TODAY is #WorldPopulationDay 👤

According to the U.N. (@unitednations), this world day “seeks to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues.”

It was estimated in 2018 that about 40.3 million people are victims of modern slavery. Too much of the population are victims of modern slavery - we are working this world day and every day to end modern slavery.

The United States Department of State has released

The United States Department of State has released its 2021 Trafficking in Persons report. Here are examples from the report of how COVID-19 affected human trafficking:

👉 In India and Nepal, young girls from poor and rural areas were often expected to leave school to help support their families during the economic hardship—some were forced into marriage in exchange for money, while others were forced to work to supplement lost income.

👉 Reports from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay illustrate that landlords forced their tenants (often women) to have sex with them when the tenant could not pay rent.

👉 During lockdown, traffickers in the Amazon in Brazil changed their patterns by sending child sex trafficking victims to the perpetrators’ private quarters or specific locations instead of the usual places where children were sold to perpetrators.

👉 In Haiti, Niger, and Mali, gangs operating in IDP camps took advantage of reduced security and limited protection to force residents at the camp to perform commercial sex acts.

👉 In Burma, families experienced drastic declines in household incomes, with 94 percent of households surveyed reporting a reduction of incomes, 81 percent reporting at least one family member losing a job, and 69 percent reporting having to take loans making these families vulnerable to trafficking.

Read the full report at the link in our bio ⬆️

Words: @statedept

MODERN SLAVERY STORY: James Kofi Annan “I start

MODERN SLAVERY STORY: James Kofi Annan

“I started my working life early. My parents had 12 children, none of whom were educated. By the time I was six years old, I was the only person my father could control. All the others were older and most of them had already been given away to work. As the youngest, I was the only one still available. My father saw the opportunity and gave me away for fishing work. The way it works is that the person who takes charge of you now has control over you. I was first trafficked with five other children. Out of the six of us, three lived, and three did not. I saw many children die from either abuse or the rigorous work they were obliged to do.
...
There, I was forced to work excruciating hours catching fish on Lake Volta. On a daily basis, my day started at 3 a.m., and ended at 8 p.m. It was full of physically demanding work. I was usually fed once a day and would regularly contract painful diseases which were never treated as I was denied access to medical care. If I asked for even the smallest concession from my boss, I was beaten. Despite all my hard work, I was often not allowed to sleep because I had to take care of all the other tasks, such as mending nets and cleaning fish.
...
The main reason I tried to escape was my passion to get educated. One day I heard someone speaking English and I knew it was something I wanted to learn. I tried to escape that same day. I had tried several times before, but I was always caught and beaten. It had been ten years suffering from this treatment, but there came a time when the person I was named after died.
...
It was decreed that all those who were named after this man must attend his funeral. There was no choice but for me to attend and I used that opportunity to escape. I ran away from my master, sneaked onto a bus, and headed home. I was 13 years old when I went back home to my parents."

Read the full story at the link in our bio ⬆️

Words: End Slavery Now (@endslaverynow) / James Kofi Annan (@challengingheights)
Photo: James Kofi Annan (@challengingheights)

Have you subscribed to our newsletter? Tomorrow

Have you subscribed to our newsletter?

Tomorrow we will publish our monthly newsletter featuring book and film recommendations, survivor stories and other resources to educate yourself on #modernslavery.

To subscribe, click the link in our bio ⬆️

The U.N. has released the Annual Report of the Sec

The U.N. has released the Annual Report of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) for 2020. Here is what we learned about child soldiers:

👉 The pandemic increased the vulnerability of children to abduction, recruitment and use, sexual violence and attacks on schools and hospitals.

👉 More than 8,400 children were killed or maimed by ongoing wars, with Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia showing the highest child casualty numbers.

👉 The recruitment and use of children persisted with close to 7,000 children affected, with most cases occurring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Somalia, Syria, and Myanmar.

👉 The military use of schools also saw an increase, particularly related to the pandemic and the temporary closure of schools, making them easy targets for military occupation and use.

Read the full report at the link in our bio ⬆️

Words and Photo: U.N. Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (@nochildreninwar)

How much do you know about #countylines? County l

How much do you know about #countylines?

County lines describes the mobile phone lines used by criminal gangs to organise illegal drugs to be moved and sold from one village, town or city to another across the UK.

According to Unseen UK (@unseenuk), approximately one in five people surveyed had not heard of county lines.

☎️Call the modern slavery hotline 08000121700 (or 999 for an emergency) if you suspect county lines or other types of modern slavery.

REPOSTED FROM @caritas_westminster • “We were

REPOSTED FROM @caritas_westminster • “We were pleased to have Princess Eugenie and Julia de Boinville for a second visit to the House. Modern Slavery is too big an issue for any single group to tackle alone so we welcome the work of the Anti-Slavery Collective in raising awareness and strengthening coalitions.” Karen Anstiss, Caritas Bakhita House Manager

Last week, HRH Princess Eugenie and Julia de Boinville, co-founders of the @the_anti_slavery_collective visited Caritas Bakhita House, a place which provides women escaping #HumanTrafficking with the safety and support needed to allow them to begin the recovery process.

We thank the team at Caritas Bakhita House for the incredible work they do, as well as the team at The Anti-Slavery Collective, whose mission is to bring change-makers together to raise awareness for modern slavery as a global epidemic.

To read more about the visit, click the link in our bio!

#MakeADifference #LoveInAction #EndModernSlavery

📸 The Anti-Slavery Collective

How much do you know about #forcedlabour? Accordi

How much do you know about #forcedlabour?

According to the International Labour Organization (@iloinfo) and Walk Free (@walkfree), 99% of victims in the commercial sex industry are women and girls.

Here’s how you can support women and girls in forced labour:

👉 Raise awareness: Share what you have discovered and encourage others to take action. Tell your family and friends about modern slavery. Use your social media to join the conversation.

👉 Report: If you ever suspect someone is a victim of modern slavery, call the modern slavery helpline on 08000 121 700 if you're in the UK or download STOP APP on your smartphone.

👉 Support anti-slavery organisations: COVID-19 has presented huge difficulties to the operations of anti-slavery organisations due to a lack of fundraising opportunities, volunteers, and prioritisation. Even the smallest of donations goes a very long way, especially for grassroots organisations, who have been proved essential, but underfunded, during this pandemic.

MODERN SLAVERY STORY: Young-soon, 83 “I met Se

MODERN SLAVERY STORY: Young-soon, 83

“I met Seong Hye-rim at a school for North Korean elites. That was where I learned to dance. She was a singer, a very good one. Seong and I stayed friends long into our 30s. One day, she told me she was moving to 'Residence Number 5', where the great leader Kim Jong-il’s family lived. She looked very happy. I asked what would happen to her existing family, but she didn’t answer and I never saw her again.

A few months later, I was given orders by the Communist party to go on a business trip. I left my nine-month-old son with my mother and went to the train station. A lieutenant colonel put me in a jeep and drove us down a pitch-dark road. I had no idea what was happening. That first night in captivity was the longest of my life. I was forced to write down the history of my entire existence, including who I had ever met and what I had ever said. It amounted to 200 pages.

I spent the next two months in solitary confinement. Then they moved me, my parents and my four children to Yodok, an internment camp for political prisoners. We all lived in a cramped thatched hut with a mud floor, and were woken at 3.30am to work on the corn fields until sunset. The only food we were given was gruel. To survive, we found anything that grew or moved and ate it, quickly, so no one would catch us. On a lucky day, we would find a rat or a snake and share it.

I was in that camp for nine years. My parents and my eight-year-old son died of malnutrition there, and the rest of my family were either shot dead or drowned. Later, after I was released, I was told we’d been imprisoned because I knew about Kim Jong-Il’s relationship with Seong.

I managed to escape to South Korea, and the first thing I got here was a potato. I don’t know why, but I’ve kept it all these years in the fridge. When I look at it, I feel happy. I know I can get food here any time, anywhere.”

Read the full story at the link in our bio ⬆️

Words: Annie Kelly, Kate Hodal and Nemo Kim / The Guardian (@guardian)
Photo: James Whitlow Delano (@jameswhitlowdelano)

TODAY IS #JUNETEENTH Juneteenth commemorates th

TODAY IS #JUNETEENTH

Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. The resilience of abolitionists who fought for this monumental step towards greater freedom for all in the U.S. was nothing short of remarkable. We are tremendously inspired by their fight and hope to one day also celebrate the abolition of #ModernSlavery both in the U.S. and across the globe.

MODERN SLAVERY STORY: Ishmael Beah, 40 “When h

MODERN SLAVERY STORY: Ishmael Beah, 40

“When he was just 12 years old, he and his friends left home to perform in a talent contest in a town a few miles away. While on the road, they found out that their village was attacked, so Beah and his friends ran back home only to face a horrific scene.
...
With their homes destroyed and with their safety at risk, Beah and his friends roamed from village to village scrounging for food and water. After a year of wandering the countryside, Beah received news that his family was at a nearby village. As he approached the village, however, Beah only came upon gunfire, smoke and ashes. The whole village was burned down, and his family members were incinerated along with it.
...
Without a family to reconcile with, Beah lost hope and found no reason to keep running. Beah went to a village run by government soldiers. There was food, soccer games and places to sleep, and Beah though it was a good place to stay. Staying at the soldiers’ village came with a price.
...
Using fear, indoctrination, cocaine, marijuana and brown-brown (cocaine mixed with gun powder), the government army turned Beah and other children into killing machines.”

Read the full story at the link in our bio ⬆️

Words: End Slavery Now (@endslaverynow)
Photo: UNICEF (@unicef) / Brian Sokol (@briansokol)

TODAY is #WorldElderAbuseAwarenessDay 🌎 Human t

TODAY is #WorldElderAbuseAwarenessDay 🌎 Human trafficking in the elder guardianship system is a type of modern slavery not talked about enough.

According to End Slavery Now (@endslaverynow): “Imagine you've worked hard all of your life and suddenly you are deemed incapacitated and are stripped of your dignity and basic individual rights. You have been abducted from your home, isolated from your family, and ‘placed’ somewhere to be medicated while your assets are being pillaged. The authorities that should be protecting you are the ones committing these heinous acts; financial predators, and agents of the elder guardianship system.”

Learn more about human trafficking in the elder guardianship system at the link in our bio ⬆️

The leaders of the Group of Seven addressed forced

The leaders of the Group of Seven addressed forced labour in the Carbis Bay G7 Summit Communiqué. Here's what we know:

👉 Listed under the section of "Free and Fair Trade"

👉 Reads: "We are concerned by the use of all forms of forced labour in global supply chains, including state-sponsored forced labour of vulnerable groups and minorities, including in the agricultural, solar, and garment sectors. We agree on the importance of upholding human rights and of international labour standards, including those deriving from International Labour Organisation membership, throughout global supply chains and tackling instances of forced labour. We commit to continue to work together including through our own available domestic means and multilateral institutions to protect individuals from forced labour and to ensure that global supply chains are free from the use of forced labour. We therefore task G7 Trade Ministers to identify areas for strengthened cooperation and collective efforts towards eradicating the use of all forms of forced labour in global supply chains, ahead of the G7 Trade Ministers’ meeting in October 2021."

👉 Means that the leaders of the Group of Seven have assigned G7 Trade Ministers to help determine how to end forced labour in global supply chains before their meeting later this year.

👉 This is important because the International Labour Organization (@iloinfo) estimates that 24.9 million people are in forced labour.

Photo: Reuters (@reuters)

TODAY is #WorldDayAgainstChildLabour 🌎 Hear HRH

TODAY is #WorldDayAgainstChildLabour 🌎 Hear HRH Princess Eugenie (@princesseugenie) and Julia de Boinville, co-founders of The Anti-Slavery Collective, speak on the importance of working towards ending child labour and educating ourselves on the issues.

TODAY is #WorldDayAgainstChildLabour 🌎 Learn ab

TODAY is #WorldDayAgainstChildLabour 🌎 Learn about the staggering numbers of children forced into labour, how the COVID-19 pandemic has made child labour worse and a New Social Contact:

“For 20 years, the International Labour Organization (ILO) has been calculating the figure every four years through household surveys.

The 2016-2020 figure estimates that 160 million children were in child labour globally – almost one in ten of all children. Around 79 million were in hazardous work that endangers their health, safety and moral development.

Although the percentage of children in child labour remained roughly unchanged, these figures mean that the total number of children in child labour increased by over eight million in the period 2016-2020, while the absolute number of children in hazardous work rose by 6.5 million.

The ITUC General Secretary, Sharan Burrow, said: ‘What’s even more shocking about these figures is that they don’t include the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. There’s no doubt that the health crisis has made things even worse.’

‘The scandal is that we have the answer to this. We know that we can tackle the scourge of child labour through a New Social Contract for working people, which includes a call to create decent work for adults and invest in social protection and inclusive services, such as care and education.’

‘Parents don’t want their kids to work. They are forced to do this in order to survive and because of the absence of quality education. No parent should have to make that choice. Working people deserve a New Social Contract now.’”

Words: International Trade Union Confederation (@ituc_global)
Photo: International Labour Organization (@iloinfo)

How much do you know about forced labour? Accord

How much do you know about forced labour?

According to the International Labour Organization (@iloinfo) and Walk Free (@walkfree) in 2017, “debt bondage affected half of all victims of forced labour imposed by private actors.”

Debt bondage is defined as “being forced to work to repay a debt and not being able to leave, or being forced to work and not being able to leave because of a debt. Just over half the men and women in forced labour exploitation worldwide were held in debt bondage. The figure rises to more than 70 percent of the total for adults forced to work in agriculture, domestic work, or manufacturing. It is likely that these estimates reflect a mix of cases of both traditional forms of bonded labour and newer forms of debt bondage where recruitment fees and agency charges become the debt that binds.”

On #WorldsOceansDay we want to highlight a form of

On #WorldsOceansDay we want to highlight a form of modern slavery not talked about enough; sea slavery. This is the story of Vannak Anan Prum.

“In 2006, a young Cambodian sculptor, Vannak Anan Prum, left his village to look for labouring work. He needed to earn enough money to pay for his wife Sokun’s impending hospital stay to give birth to their first child. He intended to be away for two months.

He would not see his wife again for five years. After a middleman on the Thai-Cambodian border promised he could earn a lot of money drying fish, Prum was sold into slave labour, sent to sea on a fishing trawler. He was forced to work around the clock and through storms, allowed a maximum two hours’ sleep by day and two hours at night.

Violence happened on the boat every day for the next four years as a way of keeping those enslaved in line, Prum tells Guardian Australia through a translator. He says people would disappear off the boats without warning, and were assumed to have been killed and thrown into the sea. One night, Prum says he saw one Thai worker cut another man’s head off with a cleaver.”

Click the link in our bio to read the full story!

Words: Steve Dow / The Guardian Australia (@guardianaustralia)
Photo: GMB Films

A message from our co-founders, @princesseugenie a

A message from our co-founders, @princesseugenie and Julia de Boinville: "Hi everyone, we wanted to take some time today to thank you, our followers, for the amazing support you've given us over the last year and beyond. Without you we would be lost, you spur us on everyday to keep fighting for the 40.3 million people who are victims of slavery today.

"It was William Wilberforce who said that you may choose to look the other way but you can never again say that you did not know. This is something we live by at The Anti-Slavery Collective and by following us you are modern abolitionists and we couldn't be prouder to have you onboard. So thank you for everything you do and we look forward to keeping going on this fight”

"It all began when I travelled to India with my be

"It all began when I travelled to India with my best friend and saw first hand the effects of human trafficking. After witnessing what was happening, we could not unsee it."

Our amazing co-founder, Julia de Boinville, recently did an interview for @enterprisingox Wonder Women series!

Click the link in our bio to read all about her journey as a female entrepreneur and founding The Anti-Slavery Collective.
#ModernSlavery #humantrafficing

How much do you know about modern slavery? On an

How much do you know about modern slavery?

On any given day in 2016, there were an estimated 40.3 million enslaved people in the world, according to the ILO and @walkfree.

Some of those slaves might work for you without you even knowing it. Click the link in our bio to visit slaveryfootprint.org and take the quiz to find out many slaves indirectly work for you.

#ModernSlavery #HumanTrafficking #ForcedLabour

Sonu dreamt of becoming a police officer, but she

Sonu dreamt of becoming a police officer, but she had to drop out of school at grade 8 to support her family. She has to travel long distances to get clean drinking water. Her father works as a daily laborer and has a drinking problem. Previously, Sonu was forced to work as a housemaid and she never felt so alone. As other girls in her area went to school, Sonu felt dejected that she could not. 
Then, @NomiNetwork’s field staff invited Sonu to pursue her dreams and join training. She is thrilled to be learning again and wants to stand on her own feet in the future.

@NomiNetwork’s mission is to create economic opportunities for survivors and women at risk of modern slavery. Last year we sat down with its amazing co-founder and President, Diana Mao to talk about their response to COVID-19. Check out our #wfh conversation our IGTV!

#nominetwork #endtrafficking#empowerwomen #endslavery#modernslavery

Nearly 1 in 10 children across the globe (around 1

Nearly 1 in 10 children across the globe (around 152 million) are subjected to child labour according to the ILO and @walkfree.

Just this week, police in Ivory Coast rescued 68 children working on cocoa farms, most of whom were trafficked.

One of the rescued children said he had spent the last two years splitting open cocoa pods with a machete.

Click the link in our bio to read more about this story.

#ChildLabour #HumanTrafficking #ForcedLabour #ModernSlavery

"We begged for money and rice. The marabout asked

"We begged for money and rice. The marabout asked for 400 CFA each day. On Wednesday, it was 500 CFA, to pay the rent and electricity. If we didn't bring the money, or if we didn't recite the verse, the marabout would beat us." - Cheikh, an 8 or 9 runaway talibé.

It is estimated that a staggering 100,000 talibé children are subjected to forced begging and other serious abuses by their Quranic teachers across Senegal, according to @HumanRightsWatch. Many Quranic teachers have taken advantage of the unregulated Quranic to exploit their talibés under pretext of teaching the Quran. Click the link in our bio to learn more.

Quote: Voices Database, the Rights Lab, University of Nottingham via Human Rights Watch

Photo: Sebastian Gil Miranda via The Atlantic

#ForcedBegging #ChildLabour#ChildSlavery #EndSlavery#ModernSlavery

Last week our co-founder, HRH @princesseugenie, in

Last week our co-founder, HRH @princesseugenie, interviewed @survivor_alliance co-founder, Minh Dang, about her journey in the anti-slavery movement.

Survivor Alliance is a network of over 200 modern slavery survivors from around the world. They believe that empowered survivors will lead the anti -slavery movement and create solutions for our fellow survivors to thrive.

Members get access to networking opportunities, training resources, and more. Click the link in our bio to watch the interview (4:57:00) and learn more about them and the fantastic work they do!

#ModernSlavery #HumanTrafficking #SlaverySurvivor #SurvivorVoice

This week is the 8 year anniversary of the collaps

This week is the 8 year anniversary of the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Dhaka, Bangladesh, which housed five garment factories, killed at least 1,132 people and injured more than 2,500.

The incident horrified the world and brought global attention to the dangerous working conditions of garment workers.

Eight years on, garment workers are still tragically losing their lives while making our clothes. In November 2020, 12 people were killed in an explosion at a garment factory in Gujarat, India. In March this year, 20 people were killed and dozens left injured after a fire tore through a clothing factory in Cairo, Egypt, with a further eight killed and 29 injured when a 10-storey building collapsed in the same city later that month. Meanwhile, in Gazipur, Bangladesh, one person died and another 42 workers were left injured following a factory fire. (Reporting by Vogue)

Click the link in our bio to continue reading.

#RanaPlaza #GarmentWorkers #ModernSlavery

Trafficked from Nigeria to Britain aged 14 under t

Trafficked from Nigeria to Britain aged 14 under the pretence of meeting his father, Kelvin Bilal Fawaz was forced to become a domestic worker where he was severely beaten and prevented from leaving the house.

After escaping, Fawaz was taken into care and granted the right to remain in the UK until the age of 18. He was twice chosen to represent Britain in the Olympics but could not attend because of his immigration status. In June 2020, he won the right to remain after a 16-year legal battle.

Fawaz is among thousands of people trafficked into modern slavery in Britain, many of whom are are fighting to remain in the country after being tricked into leaving their homes in places such as Albania, Vietnam, China, Romania and Nigeria.

Photo and article credit: @guardian

#endslavery #endhumantrafficking #modernslavery #survivor

Meet child sex trafficking survivor, Tiffany Simps

Meet child sex trafficking survivor, Tiffany Simpson.

Tiffany is the focus of a newly released short documentary called Lack of Love. Lack of Love supports the efforts of @wearekaranarising and @dressember to free Tiffany and begin a movement to ensure all survivors of human trafficking are no longer prosecuted and jailed.

Tiffany was trafficked as a child by a man who she thought loved her. She was 17 when her violent trafficker lured another 13 year old runaway into his car offering help. Tiffany and this young girl were brutally assaulted by multiple men. She was bleeding out after being stabbed while 8 months pregnant by her trafficker.

However, the police arrested Tiffany and her trafficker in 2012. She was sentenced to 30 years in adult prison for trafficking another minor.

Lack of Love, as narrated by Tiffany from jail, is her story of learning what love truly is while fighting for her freedom. Click the link in our bio to watch it!

#HumanTrafficking #ChildSexTrafficking #ModernSlavery

Today is #worldhealthday This year's World Healt

Today is #worldhealthday

This year's World Health Day theme is building a fairer, healthier world for everyone in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many factors leave people vulnerable to exploitation, poor health is one of them. People with illnesses may have difficulty finding employment, making them more likely to accept risky or false job offers. Many people are also trafficked or sold into slavery as a way to pay off the medical debts of another family member.

Additionally, people struggling with their mental health may be easily coerced into a situation of exploitation.

Click the link in our bio to learn more about World Heath Day.

#ModernSlavery #MentalHealth #HumanTrafficking #HealthDay

Modern slavery survivor story: At the age of 15, i

Modern slavery survivor story: At the age of 15, in 1976, Maria immigrated legally to the US from Mexico, with her father. She was soon approached on the street in Los Angeles by a woman offering work as a cleaner.

But instead the woman sold her to 68-year-old Anselmo Covarrubias for $200, and Covarrubias made her his domestic slave. For five years he held her in bondage in his house where he raped and beat her.

When Covarrubias was murdered by someone renting property from him, Maria was then wrongly imprisoned for 22 years. Finally, in 2003 she was freed and now works as a councillor helping other victims of human trafficking.

To read Maria's full story please click the link in our bio!

Story credit: Antislavery Usable Past

#ModernSlavery #HumanTrafficking #SurvivorStory

Today we remember and honour the 15 million men, w

Today we remember and honour the 15 million men, women, and children who were victims of the transatlantic slave trade.

Sadly, today slavery has not decreased but in fact increased, with an estimated 40.3 million people enslaved according to the ILO and @walkfree.

We must do everything we can to educate and raise awareness about slavery to prevent those numbers from doubling again. Empowered people, empower people!

Click the link in our bio for more info.

#EndSlavery #RememberingSlavery #SlaveTrade

Happy Birthday to our incredible co-founder, HRH @

Happy Birthday to our incredible co-founder, HRH @princesseugenie!

Her tireless work to fight for the 40.3 million victims of modern slavery is an inspiration to us all.

Photo 1: visiting with survivors at a @salvationarmyuk safe house (2018).

Photo 2: Princess Eugenie and US anti-trafficking ambassador John Richmond at an OSCE conference.

Photo 3: visiting India with Freedom United

At any given day in 2016, there were an estimated

At any given day in 2016, there were an estimated 15.4 million victims of forced marriage in the world, according to @WalkFree and the ILO.

84% of victims were women and girls.

55% of victims were in Asia and the Pacific. However, the prevalence of forced marriage per 1,000 people is highest in Africa (4.8 per 1,000), followed by Asia and the Pacific (2.0 victims per 1,000).

37% of victims were children at the time of their marriage. This is the form of modern slavery to which children, especially girls, are most vulnerable.

Statistics from @Walkfree and the ILO (2017)

#ForcedMarriage #EndSlavery #ModernSlavery #BeAware

This week, Sudan became the 50th country to back a

This week, Sudan became the 50th country to back a United Nations treaty against forced labour, a significant milestone in the fight to end modern slavery.

This comes after the ILO, IOE, and ITUC led a “50 for Freedom” campaign to encourage governments to ratify the protocol and raise awareness about modern slavery.

“We reached a major milestone,” ILO director-general Guy Ryder said in a statement. “A future of work that is free of forced labour, human trafficking, child labour and modern slavery is a future that we must shape together.”

Click the link in our bio to read the full article by Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Photograph credit: Lonnie Schlein, The Guardian

#ModernSlavery #EndSlavery #ForcedLabour #ForcedLabourSudan #UnitedNations

Today is #MyFreedomDay! Students across the world

Today is #MyFreedomDay! Students across the world are being encouraged to unite in the fight against modern slavery by taking the following pledge:

I promise to take action to help end slavery by...

👉 Recognising and staying vigilant to spot the signs of human trafficking.

👉 Understanding online dangers and speaking up if I see a friend who might be making a bad decision.

👉 Becoming aware of how goods are made. I will take into consideration a company's business practices when buying things like clothes, electronics and chocolate, then make my decisions based on how they treat their workers and the environment.

Click the link in our bio to take the pledge!

#EndSlavery #ModernSlavery #HumanTraffickingAwareness

Yesterday on #InternationalWomensDay our co-founde

Yesterday on #InternationalWomensDay our co-founder, Julia de Boinville, had the opportunity to speak to students, staff and alumni at Marlborough College about modern slavery and her journey founding The Anti-Slavery Collective.

Marlborough College was, in 1968, the first major British independent boys' school to allow girls into the sixth form, and years later in 2006 it was where Julia met our other co-founder, HRH Princess Eugenie, for the first time!

A message from our co-founders, HRH @princesseugen

A message from our co-founders, HRH @princesseugenie and Julia de Boinville, on #InternationalWomensDay

Today on #InternationalWomensDay we want to celebr

Today on #InternationalWomensDay we want to celebrate the journey of our co-founders, HRH @princesseugenie and Julia de Boinville, who first met as two girls in school and are now fighting modern slavery together.

Since founding The Anti-Slavery Collective in 2017, they have visited numerous safe houses, developed a Tech Tackles Trafficking event series, visited brothels with the Metropolitan Police, visited India with The Freedom Fund, held a roundtable discussion with the US Ambassador-at-large for Trafficking in Persons, and so much more.

Their tireless work to fight for the 40.3 million people who are victims of modern slavery inspires us everyday.

According to @walkfree and the ILO, of the 40.3 mi

According to @walkfree and the ILO, of the 40.3 million victims of modern slavery, 71% are women and girls.

On this #InternationalWomensDay we must celebrate the many incredible women in our lives while also committing to fight for the millions of women who don't have freedom.

Here are some things you can do to support female victims of modern slavery today:

👉 Raise awareness: Share what you have discovered and encourage others to take action. Tell your family and friends about modern slavery. Use your social media to join the conversation.

👉 Report: If you ever suspect someone is a victim of modern slavery, call the modern slavery helpline on 08000 121 700 if you're in the UK or download STOP APP on your smartphone.

👉 Support anti-slavery organisations: COVID-19 has presented huge difficulties to the operations of anti-slavery organisations due to a lack of fundraising opportunities, volunteers, and prioritisation. Even the smallest of donations goes a very long way, especially for grassroots organisations, who have been proved essential, but underfunded, during this pandemic.

#IWD2021 #ModernSlavery #HumanTrafficking #EndSlavery

In honour of #WorldBookDay here are some of our re

In honour of #WorldBookDay here are some of our recommended modern slavery reads:

📚 Trafficked by Sophie Hayes: The terrifying true story of the first British female who was trafficked outside the UK.

📚 Stolen Lives by Louise Hulland: examines trafficking and slavery in Britain, hearing from those on the front line and powerful survivor testimony.

📚 The Last Girl by Nadia Murad: autobiographical book retelling Murad's experience being captured and enslaved by the Islamic State during the Second Iraqi Civil War.

📚 Blood and Earth by Kevin Bales: Bales travels to some of the world's most dangerous places documenting and battling human trafficking.

📚 The Outlaw Ocean by Ian Urbina: chronicles a diversity of offshore crimes, including the killing of stowaways, sea slavery, and trafficking.

📚 The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare: Dare documents child domestic slavery in Nigeria through the powerful story of teenage girl called Adunni.

#ModernSlavery #HumanTrafficking #EndSlavery

How much do you know about forced labour? Accord

How much do you know about forced labour?

According to the International Labour Organization Forced Labour Convention, "forced or compulsory labour is all work or service which is exacted from any person under the threat of a penalty and for which the person has not offered himself or herself voluntarily.”

There are currently 24.9 million victims of forced labour globally and it's likely happening within a mile of your home right now.

Click the link in our bio to find out what you can be doing to help!

Statistics: ILO and WalkFree

#ModernSlavery #EndSlavery #ForcedLabour

Make sure you click the link in our bio to subscri

Make sure you click the link in our bio to subscribe to IJM’s 6 part informative video series, ‘Make #SlaveFree Normal,’ launching tomorrow!

Weekly episodes will focus on an industry (including fashion or cocoa) with high-risk of slavery in supply chains, and what is needed, as consumers, government and business work together to make #slavefree supply chains normal. As part of the challenge, you’ll receive text updates and get the inside track on how IJM is working to stop slavery on the ground, as well as tips and weekly challenges to take action. This is all about sustainable change – not quick-fix habits. Use our online guide to reflect on what you’ve learnt about the prevalence of slavery in our every day products, and set personal goals as you commit to making changes long-term!

Look forward to this exciting line-up of guest speakers… including leading lawyers and industry experts, influencers and activists including Livia Firth, Safia Minney MBE, Aja Barber, Grace Forrest, Walk Free Founder, James Ewins QC, Parosha Chandran, the Ethical Trading Initiative and many more.

Nearly 1 in 10 children across the globe (around 1

Nearly 1 in 10 children across the globe (around 152 million) are subjected to child labour according to the ILO and @walkfree.

Tragically, many victims never receive recognition or compensation. However, in a landmark new case, eight children are launching legal action against the world’s biggest chocolate companies for using them as slave labour.

Nestlé, Cargill, Barry Callebaut, Mars, Olam, Hershey and Mondelēz have all been named as defendants in the lawsuit. It is the first time that a class action of this kind has been filed against the cocoa industry in a US court and the implications could be far reaching.

Click the link in our bio to read the full article!

Article Credit: The Guardian, Oliver Balch

#ModernSlavery #ForcedLabour #ChildLabour #SlaveLabour #EndModernSlavery

On behalf of everyone at The Anti-Slavery Collecti

On behalf of everyone at The Anti-Slavery Collective, we want to say a massive congratulations to our co-founder, HRH @princesseugenie, on the birth of her baby boy!

Our co-founders, HRH @princesseugenie and Julia de

Our co-founders, HRH @princesseugenie and Julia de Boinville, wanted to take the opportunity to remember the anniversary of the 2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster.

At least 21 Chinese undocumented immigrant labourers drowned by an incoming tide after picking cockles off the Lancashire coast.

This is a tragic but sadly not uncommon story. On any given day in 2016, there were an estimated 24.9 million victims of forced labour in the world, according to @walkfree and the ILO. 16 million of those were exploited in sectors such as domestic work, construction, manufacturing, agriculture and fishing.

#ModernSlavery #ForcedLabour #EndSlavery

Modern slavery survivor story: meet Elvira, 50, fr

Modern slavery survivor story: meet Elvira, 50, from the Philippines. (Interview and photograph by Hazel Thompson)

"When my husband became very sick and couldn’t work, I used an employment agency to find me work abroad. I was sent to Qatar, but the family were cheating me, paying me less than agreed in my contract and refusing to give me a day off. I called the agency in the Philippines for help, but they never answered.

"A year passed. Finally, they said they’d let me go home if I went to work for one of their sisters, who lived in London. My employer flew with me, and when we reached Heathrow, the immigration officer just asked my employer what I’d be doing and let us through. The sister lived in a flat near Harrods. I had to work all the time, without a day off, and I slept on the floor by her bed. I was rarely allowed outside the house, and only with her. I was given just a piece of bread and cup of tea for the whole day. I became emaciated. I felt like a slave, like I was in prison. I wanted to run away, but they had my passport."

Click the link in our bio to read Elvira's full story and hear from others like her who have been victims of modern slavery.

Article credit: The Guardian (Photo and article by @hazelthompsonphoto

#ModernSlavery #ForcedLabour #EndSlavery

The UK Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, Dame

The UK Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, Dame Sara Thornton, recently spoke to The Times about the need to name and shame firms over supply chain slave labour:

“Such an approach would put power in the hands of consumers, investors and the public. Evidence from around the world shows that naming and shaming can have a real impact on business practices; indeed the government uses it to expose minimum wage non-compliance.

“This approach would also ensure that the powerful and often shocking information generated by lengthy law enforcement operations can be used to educate the public and corporate stakeholders and to improve the system.”

Click the link in our bio to read the full article.

#ModernSlavery #HumanTrafficking #SupplyChains

Modern slavery survivor story: Meet Neeta, 16, fr

Modern slavery survivor story: Meet Neeta, 16, from Nepal.

Neeta worked part-time as a waitress to help her family pay the bills. One day at work her employers refused to let her leave and return home, telling her that she would be sold to a brothel in India and forced into prostitution.

When her daughter went missing, Neeta's mother feared the worst and contacted the NGO Maiti Nepal, who help victims and survivors of human trafficking. Thankfully, they were able to use their network to find and rescue Neeta.

Despite her horrifying ordeal, Neeta is determined not to let her past define her. She's now back in school, working hard for her future.

Click the link in our bio to learn more about modern slavery and hear other survivor stories.

Article credit: The Guardian (Annie Kelly and Kate Hodal)

#ModernSlavery #HumanTrafficking #Slavery #ChildLabour

International Survivors of Trafficking Advisory Co

International Survivors of Trafficking Advisory Council (ISTAC) Launch. Today our co-founder, HRH @princesseugenie, had the opportunity to speak at the launch event of the International Survivors of Trafficking Advisory Council (ISTAC) organised by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights.

On the basis of OSCE commitments to promote the inclusion of survivors of trafficking in all anti-trafficking efforts, ODIHR has established the ISTAC, which consists of 21 members, who are survivor leaders of trafficking.

Did you know that: 👉 84% of cotton production

Did you know that:

👉 84% of cotton production from China comes from the Uyghur Region

👉 20% of the world’s cotton comes from the Uyghur Region

👉 1 in 5 cotton garments in the global apparel market are tainted by forced labour

Right now many of the world's biggest fashion brands are complicit in forced labour and human rights violations being perpetrated on millions of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and Hui in northwestern China.

As many as 1.8 million people have been detained in internment camps and prisons where they have endured forced labour, torture, forced sterilisation of women, and forced separation of families.

Click the link in our bio to learn more and join the call to action to end Uyghur forced labour in China now.

#Uyghur #ForcedLabour #ForcedLabourFashion #UyghurCrisis

Our Co-founders, HRH @princesseugenie and Julia de

Our Co-founders, HRH @princesseugenie and Julia de Boinville, were delighted to join @goalshouse today for their January Dialogues.

They spoke to Project Everyone Co-founder, Gail Gallie, about combatting modern day slavery, the challenges the pandemic has presented, how The Anti-Slavery Collective got its start and more!

As part of the #JanuaryDialogues Goals House have created accompanying journals representing each Sustainable Development Goal and we have contributed to Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.

Head to goalshouse.com to read.

Modern slavery survivor story, Yum, 29, Cambodia:

Modern slavery survivor story, Yum, 29, Cambodia:

"We sailed for days and days before they told us we’d been sold to the Thais to work as fishermen. I went to the captain and complained. He beat me so badly, it was impossible for me to work, eat or sleep. I thought I was going to die. We sailed until we were in Indonesian waters. The days turned into weeks and the weeks into months. My health, and the beatings, got worse.

“After about nine months at sea, we arrived at an Indonesian fishing port. I knew I had to try to escape. I waited until it was dark and the others were asleep, and managed to sneak off the boat, swimming the short distance to land and hiding until morning. I was scared, tired, sick and hungry. Eventually, I got to the Indonesian police, who were very kind and let me stay in the police station for two weeks, until the embassy arranged an emergency visa and sent me back to Phnom Penh. My ordeal at sea is over, but my health gets worse every week. I have a newborn baby, a wife and no prospects of work."

Click the link in our bio to read Yum's full story.

Credit: The Guardian

#ModernSlavery #EndSlavery #ForcedLabour

Today is #MartinLutherKingDay in the United States

Today is #MartinLutherKingDay in the United States and we join all our American followers in celebrating the extraordinary civil rights leader who inspired so many people.

It's been 58 years since he delivered his memorable 'I Have a Dream' speech and while so much has been achieved since then, we still have so much more to do to ensure his vision is met.

The 40.3 million people who are currently victims of modern slavery are a threat to justice everywhere.

Statistics credit: Walk Free and ILO

#TB to when our co-founders, HRH Princess Eugenie

#TB to when our co-founders, HRH Princess Eugenie and Julia de Boinville, visited a @salvationarmyuk safe house to meet with modern slavery survivors a few months ago.

Due to COVID-19 it has been hard to meet with survivors face to face but it is crucial that their stories and voices are still heard. The survivors we met with all had harrowing stories of abuse, neglect, trafficking, forced labour and more. Yet every one of them remained hopeful for a brighter future.

Click the link in our bio to read some of the inspirational Salvation Army survivor stories!

#ModernSlavery #EndSlavery #SalvationArmy #HumanTrafficking #ForcedLabour #ForcedMarriage

Last week, the Dominican Republic officially made

Last week, the Dominican Republic officially made child marriage illegal. President Luis Abinador signed legislation that will now prohibit individuals under the age of 18 from getting married.

This is a momentous occasion in the fight against #ModernSlavery and #ForcedMarriage and we hope that other countries follow suit. Government figures in the Dominican Republic show that more than a third of women aged 20 to 24 were married or in an informal union before they were 18.

At any given day in 2016, there were an estimated 15.4 million victims of forced marriage in the world, according to @WalkFree and the ILO. 37% of these victims were children at the time of marriage.

Today in the United States it's National Human Tra

Today in the United States it's National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

U.S. law defines human trafficking as the use of force, fraud, or coercion to compel a person into commercial sex acts or labor or services against his or her will.

In 2019 our co-founder, Julia de Boinville, had the opportunity to attend the briefing on the findings of the 2019 Trafficking in Persons report.

The US Trafficking in Persons report is a useful tool in the international fight against modern slavery. By ranking government's efforts, it applies pressure on governments to ensure they maintain focus and hear the voices of those directly affected. Make sure you click the link in our bio to check out their 20th anniversary 2020 report that was released last summer!

#TIPReport #EndHumanTrafficking#HumanTrafficking #EndSlavery#ModernSlavery

As the UK begins its third lockdown and countless

As the UK begins its third lockdown and countless other countries continue to struggle with the pandemic, it's important to remember the impact COVID-19 has on the most vulnerable.

When we held our Work from Home Conversation Series last year, we spoke to International Justice Mission’s Philippines’ National Director Samson Inocencio.

He told us that many children who are victims of modern slavery are trafficked by their own parents. This is extremely alarming in the context of COVID-19. Lockdowns have trapped vulnerable victims at home with their traffickers, making them more isolated.

Additionally, when we spoke to Niharika Chopra, Director of Policy Research at the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation. She told us that while COVID-19 did not create child trafficking it was exposing it and making it worse. With the virus causing school closures, they were helping increasing numbers of children who had been made more vulnerable to trafficking.

#ModernSlavery #ChildTrafficking #EndSlavery @ijmph

Modern slavery survivor story: "I was treated wors

Modern slavery survivor story: "I was treated worse than the animals I slept with. Like them, I was property. I was a slave held in Northern Sudan.

"But the animals weren't beaten every day. I was. Every single day, with a horsewhip."

Ker was captured into slavery as a child with his mother. He was made to work long hours picking tea leaves and looking after cattle.

When he accidentally let a goat escape one day, they blinded him. He was left hanging upside down from a tree with chilli peppers rubbed into his eyes.

Thankfully, he was saved by a neighbour and in 2011 a sponsor enabled him to resettle in the United States. His mother remains enslaved.

Ker's story is sadly not unique. According to the ILO and @walkfree there are an estimated 40.3 million enslaved people in the world today.

Click the link in our bio to read Ker's full story.

CREDIT: Antislavery Usable Past VOICES

#ModernSlavery #ForcedLabour #EndSlavery

January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking

January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month in the United States.

On any given day in 2016, there were an estimated 40.3 million enslaved people in the world, according to the ILO and @walkfree .

Therefore, there are more slaves in the world today than at any other point in history.

Awareness is key to prevention. Stay tuned this month as we share information on modern slavery and how you can help prevent it.

#ModernSlavery #HumanTrafficking #EndSlavery

2020 has been a year like no other, and as the yea

2020 has been a year like no other, and as the year comes to an end we would like to take the opportunity to reflect on all that has been achieved.

We are so proud of everyone in the anti-slavery movement who have been fighting harder than ever before and we look forward to what 2021 has to offer.

Last week the Thomson Reuters Foundation reported

Last week the Thomson Reuters Foundation reported that a Brazilian woman who was enslaved as a maid from the age of eight for almost four decades and forced into marriage had been rescued.

This is a tragic but sadly not uncommon story. There are currently 24.9 million victims of forced labour globally, 24% of whom are in domestic work.

If you spot any of the below signs of domestic slavery, please contact your local authorities:

- Do they ever leave the house on their own?
- Do they seem anxious or afraid?
- Do they have access to their passport?
- Do they work excessive hours?
- Are they deprived of food, water or medical care?

If you're in the UK, you can call the Modern Slavery Helpline on 08000 121 700.

Click the link in our bio to read the full story!

Everyone at The Anti-Slavery Collective would like

Everyone at The Anti-Slavery Collective would like to wish you happy holidays!

This year has been especially difficult for so many families, businesses, and organisations. We know that in times of emergency, exploitation increases. COVID-19 has created many challenges for victims and survivors of modern slavery, while amplifying the vulnerabilities of those most at-risk.

We are so proud of all the work that's been done in the anti-slavery movement this year and look forward to what 2021 has to bring.

The Anti-Slavery Collective Co-founders, HRH Princ

The Anti-Slavery Collective Co-founders, HRH Princess Eugenie and Julia de Boinville, would like to wish everyone a very happy holiday season!

This year has been especially difficult for so many families, businesses, and organisations. We know that in times of emergency, exploitation increases. COVID-19 has created many challenges for victims and survivors of modern slavery, while amplifying the vulnerabilities of those most at-risk.

We are so proud of all the work that's been done in the anti-slavery movement this year and look forward to what 2021 has to bring.

Almost half of Brazil's 1.8 million child labourer

Almost half of Brazil's 1.8 million child labourers work in dangerous conditions, government data has shown.

The labour these children are involved in include sex work, drug trafficking and handling heavy machinery.

They also earn very little money, the data showed, with 16 and 17 year olds receiving an average of R$ 561 ($111) - about half of the monthly minimum wage. Children aged between five and 13 were paid R$ 163, or 15% of the legal minimum.

Click the link in our bio to learn more.

Story credit: Thomson Reuters Foundation
Photo credit: REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker

Many of the world's biggest fashion brands are com

Many of the world's biggest fashion brands are complicit in forced labour and human rights violations being perpetrated on millions of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and Hui in northwestern China.

As many as 1.8 million people have been detained in internment camps and prisons where they have endured forced labour, torture, forced sterilisation of women, and forced separation of families.

It is the largest mass detention of an ethno-religious community since World War II.

20% of the world’s cotton comes from the Uyghur Region, companies must commit to ending the abuses currently happening in their supply chain.

Click the link in our bio to learn more!

#ForcedLabour #ForcedFashion #UyghurCrisis

Photo credit: Getty Images

Today is #HumanRightsDay This year’s Human Rig

Today is #HumanRightsDay

This year’s Human Rights Day theme relates to the COVID-19 pandemic and focuses on the need to build back better by ensuring Human Rights are central to recovery efforts.

We know that in times of emergency, exploitation increases. COVID-19 has created many challenges for victims and survivors of modern slavery, while amplifying the vulnerabilities of those most at-risk.

If we are to achieve the sustainable development goals 8.7 of eradicting slavery by 2030, 5.2 of ending all violence against woment and girls and 16.2 the exploitation of children, strong action is needed. No matter how many challenges the pandemic presents, we must continue to fight modern slavery.

#ModernSlavery #EndSlavery #HumanTrafficking #ForcedLabour #UnitedNations

Recently, The Freedom Fund launched 'Freedom Risin

Recently, The Freedom Fund launched 'Freedom Rising.' A global program that directly addresses the lack of support for and representation of women and survivors in the anti-slavery movement.

The ultimate goal of this program is to create the conditions in which a powerful women and survivor-led anti-slavery movement can take root and grow.

Each cohort of 50 participants will receive a minimum of 12 months of mentorship, leadership and technical skills training.

Click the link in our bio to learn more about this incredible program!

Photo credit: The Freedom Fund

Message of support. Our Co-founder, HRH Princess E

Message of support. Our Co-founder, HRH Princess Eugenie, gave a message of thanks to @salvationarmyuk at their Christmas carol concert last night.

Earlier this year we had an incredibly moving visit with modern slavery survivors at a Salvation Army safe house and visited a food distribution centre.

Today is #InternationalDayfortheAbolitionofSlavery

Today is #InternationalDayfortheAbolitionofSlavery

This year the fight to end modern slavery has been harder than ever before with COVID-19 ripping through families, communities and businesses globally.

Despite this we remained dedicated to the anti-slavery movement. We moved our efforts online and held 15 working from home conversation series to shed a light on how the pandemic was affecting different people and anti - slavery organisations. While many of the stories were harrowing we were also inspired by the amazing dedication of staff, volunteers and frontline workers caring for those most affected.

There is much to be learnt from these people and their voices must be up front and centre in the world’s response to and recovery from the pandemic.

Today, please join us in raising awareness of the global epidemic of modern slavery and thanking the incredible people who give so much to this fight.

#EndSlavery #ModernSlavery #HumanTrafficking #EndTrafficking

On this day in 1949, the @unitednations General As

On this day in 1949, the @unitednations General Assembly adopted the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons.

71 years later there are 40.3 million people who are currently victims of modern slavery. That’s more people enslaved now than at any other point in history.

Today on #InternationalDayfortheAbolitionofSlavery, we must celebrate the work that’s been done to date but commit to doing more in the future to ensure that in another 71 years we are in a different place than we are now.

Just over two years ago our co-founder, Julia de B

Just over two years ago our co-founder, Julia de Boinville, had the privilege of attending a United Nations Security Council meeting to witness @unwomen launch their #OrangeTheWorld campaign.

There are still 10 days of activism left for this years campaign to end gender based violence.

Due to COVID-19, two thirds of anti-trafficking workers reported seeing an increase in online recruitment by traffickers for the purpose of sexual exploitation online.

Now more than ever it's vital that we spread the word, raise awareness and fight for the women who are currently victims of gender based violence. Join us as we spend the next 10 days standing in solidarity with women globally.

Globally there are 24.9 million victims of forced

Globally there are 24.9 million victims of forced labour. As you shop for #BlackFriday deals this weekend, it’s important to remember the need to eliminate forced labour.

Be conscious consumers, research the brands and businesses you like to shop and find out what active steps they’re taking to ensure their supply chains are free from modern slavery. Shop fair-trade.

#ModernSlavery #ForcedLabour #FairTrade

The Anti-Slavery Collective wishes everyone who ce

The Anti-Slavery Collective wishes everyone who celebrates it, a very happy Thanksgiving!

We are so thankful for each and every person who is raising awareness of modern slavery, fighting to stop it, and rescuing the people are currently victims of it. #ModernSlavery #EndSlavery #Thanksgiving

‪To honour International Day for the Elimination

‪To honour International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women today, @unwomen are launching 16 days of activism!

Due to COVID-19, two thirds of anti-trafficking workers reported seeing an increase in online recruitment by traffickers for the purpose of sexual exploitation online.

Now more than ever it's vital that we spread the word, raise awareness and fight for the women who currently victims of gender based violence. Join us as we spend the next 16 days standing in solidarity with women globally.

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