Today, 25 February, is Shine a Light on Slavery Day.
Over the last couple of month, I have made an effort to shine a light on slavery in our modern world. This is my second post on organizations who work to not only shine a light on slavery, but to end it. My post on the History of Abolition and modern-day Anti-Human Trafficking efforts discussed the Palermo Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons. This Protocol came with the 4 P framework. I discussed the first three Ps, and now I am going to talk about the 4th P–Partnerships.
No one government or non-government organization can fight human trafficking alone. It takes partnerships within and across borders.
In my last post, I highlighted a few organizations that I have become aware of through the course of researching my novel All That it Takes. I focused on Canada, as it was Human Trafficking Awareness Day in Canada (22 February) when I published that post.
In this post, I will focus on a few organizations beyond Canada’s borders. Some of the organizations mentioned previously were international groups such as The Salvation Army, The International Justice Mission, and the SA Foundation, but the links provided in this post will go to the international headquarters rather than the Canadian division. On the international sites, you can find links to their work in other countries.
I want to share a TED Talk by the founder of International Justice Mission, Gary Haugen. It is about 20 minutes long and is so worth the investment of your time to watch it.
TED Talk with Gary Haugen – The hidden reason for poverty the world needs to address now.
Other International organizations with offices around the world:
Hope for Justice runs anti-trafficking projects all over the world and works directly with victims and survivors. Hope for Justice has an excellent website with many resources to help raise awareness. They have offices in USA, UK, and Norway.
Unitas partners with governments, NGOs, and experts in the field to develop collaborative solutions in the fight against human trafficking. They have offices in Belgrade, Serbia, and New York, USA. Unitas works to prevent human trafficking and support survivors.
Plan International works to advance children’s rights and equality for girls in over 75 countries. “Plan International is working with communities, leaders, and governments around the globe to prevent and ultimately put an end to trafficking, so that girls and young women can have the freedom and safety they rightly deserve.”
UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender quality and the empowerment of women throughout the UN member states. You can read their directive on human trafficking–Prevent, Combat, Protect: Human Trafficking.
LOVE146–has the vision to end child trafficking and exploitation and nothing less. They have prevention and survivor care programs in the USA, UK, and the Philippines.
Many Hopes provide immediate medical care for children rescued from slavery. They have programs in Malawi, Ghana, Kenya, Bolivia, Guatemala, and Peru. Headquarters are in the US.
A21–their only goal and mission is to end the illegal trade of human beings, aka slavery. They have a solution based on Reach, Rescue, and Restore. They have operations across the globe and here is a list of the countries.
United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking–“UN.GIFT works with all stakeholders – governments, business, academia, civil society, and the media – to support each other’s work, create new partnerships and develop effective tools to fight human trafficking.”
Here are a few international anti-human trafficking organizations I would like to highlight.
The U.S.A.
For my US readers, there are several human trafficking agencies that are doing tremendous work to bring awareness as well as combat modern-day slavery.
The #ENDITMovement is a “collective of everyday people united by the hope” that an end of slavery and human trafficking is possible in our lifetime. Ten years ago, 25 February in the USA became Shine a Light on Slavery Day, where across social media, you can see people posting an X in some form or fashion, most commonly on a hand. This red x is to bring awareness to the issue of slavery today. On their website is a page listing their coalition partners, which have established national and international efforts. The cover image of this article is from their website. Will you post on your social media, to help shine a light on slavery?
The Polaris Project operates the National Human Trafficking Hotline in the USA
Call 1-888-373-7888 ( TTY: 711)|*Text 233733 |Live Chat
Shared Hope International has a three-pronged approach to its mission: prevention, restoration, and bringing justice. They have a Report Card on Child & Youth Sex Trafficking in the US. The report card’s aim is to develop an advanced legislative framework to take fighting sex trafficking and protecting victims to the next stage within each state of the US.
UK
Stop the Traffik – Using people and technology this organization works across borders and industries to stop human trafficking by using a unique intelligence-led approach. Stop the Traffik is all about information sharing since its founding in 2006. Their collaboration and partnerships with many local and international organizations are designed to “build resilience to human trafficking”. In addition to awareness campaigns, and training, they have embraced technology with The STOP APP and the Traffik Analysis Hub.
Their work supports victims and survivors through safehouses, community support, and a resource for businesses to address modern slavery risks and related issues. They also have a UK modern slavery and exploitation helpline – 08000 121 700 or you can report concerns online.
AFRICA
Economic Community of West African States (ECWSA) – work together with a Plan of Action to win the war against human trafficking across their member states which include: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cote D’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. In their efforts to implement the Organized Crime: West Africa Response to Trafficking (OCWAR-T) project, the ECWSA is supported by European Union organizations and UN programs.
Cambodia
Ratanak International has for over 30 years provided hope, freedom, and dignity for Cambodian trafficking survivors. Their headquarters are in Canada and they also have offices in the UK and Australia. Learn more about their projects here.
Further Reading:
In my previous post, I said there are many more anti-human trafficking organizations than I can name in just a couple of posted articles, so I won’t even try.
Here are a couple of Wikipedia articles that proved helpful on this topic. I am not saying Wikipedia is the only source of information and is never fully comprehensive, but it can be valuable as a good place to start.
A list of organizations that combat human trafficking around the world. Some of which I have highlighted in this article and the previous one.
Transnational efforts to prevent human trafficking
How you can help anti-human trafficking efforts:
- PLEASE EDUCATE YOURSELF ON THE SIGNS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING.
- . PUT THE HUMAN TRAFFICKING HOTLINE NUMBER IN YOUR PHONE AND USE IT. I HAVE LISTED THE CANADIAN HUMAN TRAFFICKING HOTLINE IN MY PREVIOUS POST, AND THERE ARE MORE IN THIS POST.
Help be part of the solution.