The Freedom Fund

We support strategic litigation as a powerful tool to compel businesses to address modern slavery in their supply chains. For workers pursuing justice for the abuses they’ve endured, the process demands extraordinary courage. Today we're standing in solidarity with the Indonesian fishers who have filed a human trafficking lawsuit against US canned tuna brand Bumble Bee. We've joined over 40 human rights organisations and unions in signing a letter to let these fishers know they are not alone, and that we: – Condemn human trafficking in the seafood industry – and in all industries; – Stand for the rights of all individuals to seek justice and demand accountability; – Recognise that healthy oceans and decent work are essential and inseparable; – Believe in people over profits. Always. Will you stand with them too? Read the full letter and sign for yourself https://lnkd.in/evkwKkPN.

A balanced approach is vital for civil society organisations tackling forced marriage and human trafficking. Recently, NI NI AUNG represented the Freedom Fund as a speaker at the Asia Region Anti-Trafficking Conference. She shared key insights from our work in the Greater Mekong Sub-region, including findings from our 2018 study, 'Estimating trafficking of Myanmar women for forced marriage and childbearing in China', conducted with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Kachin Women's Association. The report revealed that 40% of interviewed women experienced forced marriage, with 65% of those trafficked often enduring forced childbearing. Similar patterns are seen across Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand, as reported by our civil society organisation partners. Read the report here: http://bit.ly/46x0abb

"Freedom is a right for everyone, not a privileged few." In her keynote address marking the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Elina Valtonen reflected on its enduring significance. The conviction that every individual deserves freedom, protection and justice guided our side event at the Helsinki +50 Conference yesterday: "Combating trafficking in human beings: The central role of civil society and survivor expertise in anti-trafficking efforts." Key takeaways: Our moderator, Freedom Fund Program Officer, Kehinde Ojo, stressed the importance of the collaboration between government, civil society, and survivors and highlighted the importance of trauma-informed service provision and the right to work in preventing re-exploitation. Yuki Lo, Freedom Fund Head of Research, emphasised the crucial role of survivor leaders in the human rights movement and how governments and the private sector can genuinely centre their expertise. Itohan Okunday, Member of OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) ISTAC, Member of the International Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Survivor Network, and Founder of Shining Hope Foundation, stressed the importance of access to education, housing, healthcare, and labour markets for protection, advocating for survivor experts to shape government policies. Kari Johnstone, OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, focused on the role of international organisations in harmonising responses and upholding the non-punishment principle for victims. A huge thank you to our incredible panellists and everyone who attended for making this such a meaningful discussion.

"The funding enabled us to rent an office, equip it with office materials, secure registration and begin operations." We have just released a new report that outlines key findings from an analysis of the Survivor Leadership Fund's effectiveness, while identifying areas for strategic refinement. Find out more: https://bit.ly/4mb2lWn

For all attending the in-person Helsinki +50 conference tomorrow, we are hosting a side event with OSCE on the central role of civil society and survivor expertise in anti-trafficking efforts. The panel discussion will be moderated by Freedom Fund Program Officer, Kehinde Ojo, and featuring our Head of Research and Development, Yuki Lo, alongside Itohan Okundaye, and Kari Johnstone of OSCE. Join us in the Finlandia Hall at 8:45am.

The Freedom Fund believes we have a responsibility to support the leadership of those who have experienced exploitation and oppression. Yet organisations with survivors of modern slavery in key leadership positions are few and far between. That's why we set up the Survivor Leadership Fund (SLF), a groundbreaking fund that provides unrestricted grants to survivor-led organisations to use as they see fit to build their capacity and grow their impact. Ahead of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, we're launching a new report where we outline key findings from an analysis of the SLF's effectiveness, while identifying areas for strategic refinement. The evaluation examined the Fund’s grantmaking processes, funding model and overall impact through a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. Findings highlight both SLF’s achievements to date and opportunities to strengthen its long-term sustainability, efficiency and alignment with the broader objectives of the Freedom Fund. Find out more: https://bit.ly/4mb2lWn #EndHumanTrafficking

What does it take to shift systems that allow exploitation to persist? In a recent report on systems change, we noted that effective behaviour change campaigns typically include positive messaging, provide clear directions about the expected changes in behaviour, are funded and sustained over a lengthy time period and use multiple methods of communication to increase and diversify exposure to campaign messaging. This learning was used to notable effect in the Chora norms and behaviour change campaign, which we developed with Girl Effect, aimed to protect the rights of child domestic workers in Ethiopia. Find out more in our reports on achieving and measuring systems change in the anti-slavery sector: https://bit.ly/46zDUNC

Since 2014, we have supported frontline organisations in Nepal campaigning to free families from the intergenerational agricultural bonded labour system known as Harawa-Charawa. This support led to the creation of the Harawa-Charawa Rights Forum. Since 2021, the focus has expanded to include Kamaiya and Haliya communities, forming a united movement, the Struggle Committee, against bonded labour. This movement's efforts resulted in the government of Nepal signing the liberation of the Harawa-Charawa in July 2022. We continue to advocate for rehabilitation, urging government action to clear loans, provide land, housing, employment, and education opportunities. Learn more about our approach in our reports on systems change in the anti-slavery sector: https://bit.ly/46zDUNC

Despite legal liberation, many Kamaiya, Haliya, and Harawa-Charawa communities in Nepal continue to face systemic exploitation and forced labour. A study from The Freedom Fund, ODI Global, and Nepal Institute for Social and Environmental Research (NISER) shows that debt, landlessness, and lack of opportunities keep families trapped in poverty. However, it it also shows where progress is happening and how policy, land reform and livelihood support can make a real difference. Read more! ➡️ http://bit.ly/46kEvmr

“Resources must be directed to those who are closest to the harm.” At last week’s UN High-Level Political Forum, our Senior Advisor to the CEO, Erin D. Phelps, called for a fundamental shift in how we resource accountability across global supply chains. Speaking at a side event hosted by UNDP and Finance Against Slavery & Trafficking, she made the case for investing in frontline organisations – those best placed to prevent and respond to harm. 📺 Watch the full video of the event here: http://bit.ly/3UhGDUy