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| Free the Slaves | |
|---|---|
| Name | Free the Slaves |
| Formation | 2000 |
| Type | Non-governmental organization |
| Purpose | Abolition of modern slavery |
Free the Slaves Free the Slaves is a non-governmental organization focused on combating modern slavery, including human trafficking, forced labor, and child labor. Founded around 2000, the organization operates alongside international actors such as United Nations, International Labour Organization, U.S. Department of State, and Amnesty International to pursue abolitionist strategies. Its work intersects with advocacy networks, survivor services, legal reform, and research communities including Human Rights Watch and Anti-Slavery International.
The organization emerged in the context of post-1990s global anti-trafficking mobilizations involving actors like Polaris Project, Walk Free Foundation, ECPAT International, and Shared Hope International. Early engagements connected with policy moments such as the passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act debates in the United States Congress and international instruments promoted by the United Nations General Assembly and the International Labour Organization. Its founders and senior staff engaged with networks that included figures from Save the Children, World Vision International, Oxfam International, and academics associated with Harvard University and Columbia University research centers on human rights. Over time the group expanded operations into regions highlighted by reports from U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons Reports and investigations by BBC News and The Guardian.
The organization articulates a mission to eliminate modern slavery through direct intervention, community organizing, and policy advocacy involving stakeholders such as World Bank, European Union, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and national actors in countries like India, Nepal, Ghana, and Haiti. Activities include survivor rehabilitation in partnership with local NGOs akin to Prerana and Apne Aap Women Worldwide, legal aid collaborations reminiscent of International Justice Mission strategies, and research initiatives comparable to work by Walk Free Foundation and academic partners at University of Oxford and London School of Economics. Advocacy campaigns target legislative frameworks influenced by precedents such as the UK Modern Slavery Act and international norms promoted at the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Programmatic work spans community-based prevention modeled after pilot projects used by CARE International and Plan International, anti-trafficking raids coordinated in line with law enforcement partnerships like those seen with INTERPOL operations, and market-based approaches engaging supply chain actors such as Nike, Walmart, and multinational commodity purchasers scrutinized by groups like Fairtrade International and Transparency International. Campaigns have invoked public awareness tactics similar to #StopTheTraffik and policy pushes echoing initiatives by Global Fund to End Modern Slavery. Programming emphasizes data collection and monitoring drawing on methodologies from ILO reports and surveys by Pew Research Center.
Governance features a board structure comparable to nonprofit boards that include legal and humanitarian experts from institutions like Stanford University, Yale University, and former officials from U.S. Agency for International Development. Funding sources reflect a mix seen across NGOs: philanthropic grants resembling those from the Ford Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and Open Society Foundations, government grants analogous to U.S. Department of State and USAID contracts, and partnerships with corporate social responsibility programs of firms such as Unilever and Coca-Cola. Financial oversight practices align with nonprofit standards observed by Charity Navigator and audit norms under frameworks like Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
Impact assessments reference case outcomes comparable to program evaluations published by UNICEF and independent evaluations akin to think-tank reports from Brookings Institution and Center for Global Development. The organization has been credited with community liberation initiatives in multiple countries while critics—echoing concerns raised about anti-human trafficking efforts more broadly—have questioned metrics of success, potential securitization of interventions, and partnerships with law enforcement reminiscent of debates surrounding International Justice Mission and Polaris Project. Academic critiques from scholars affiliated with University of California, Berkeley and University of Cambridge have urged rigorous monitoring to avoid unintended harms documented in studies appearing in journals tied to Oxford University Press.
Partnership networks include alliances with international NGOs such as Human Rights Watch, Anti-Slavery International, and Caritas Internationalis; faith-based organizations similar to Catholic Relief Services; and multilateral engagements with ILO, UNODC, and the United Nations Development Programme. Advocacy work targets legislative reform efforts comparable to campaigns around the UK Modern Slavery Act and the Trafficking Victims Protection Act in the United States Congress, and engages global fora including the UN Human Rights Council and G7 dialogues.
Operational footprints have concentrated on regions with documented prevalence in reports by U.S. Department of State and ILO, including South Asia (India, Nepal), West Africa (Ghana), and the Caribbean (Haiti). Casework has involved collaborations with local organizations such as community groups reminiscent of Prerana in India, legal clinics similar to Legal Aid Society, and social services networks like Save the Children. Notable interventions are reported in contexts paralleling high-profile investigations by BBC News, The Guardian, and academic fieldwork produced by centers at Columbia University.
The organization and affiliated staff have received acknowledgments akin to awards conferred by entities like Opus Prize, Skoll Foundation, and honors cited by philanthropic partners similar to Ford Foundation and Open Society Foundations. Recognition has also come from civil society coalitions and media coverage in outlets such as The New York Times and Reuters.