FreedomUnited.org

Four pieces of chocolate with cookie inside of them, one half on top of the other

Tuesday March 26, 2024

Chocolate Scorecard 2024: sweet progress & bitter challenges

Kiki Lindenau

It’s that special time again when we dive deep into the world of chocolate, especially with Easter right around the corner. This isn’t just about indulging in your favorite sweets; it’s about understanding the impact behind each bite. The 2024 Chocolate Scorecard is out, and there’s a lot to talk about, especially regarding our fight against forced child labor in the cocoa industry – what has changed, can we celebrate (spoiler: YES!), and what work is left? Let’s break it down, shall we? What is the Chocolate Scorecard? The Chocolate Scorecard is a report card for

Screenshot from CNN live coverage showing a side view of the presenter with blond long hair wearing a red jacket holding a microphone toward the mouth of a woman with brown hair and a black jacket in conversation.

Child Slavery

Friday March 15, 2024

Freedom United exposes U.S. regression on child exploitation

Joanna Ewart-James

My Freedom Day should be everyone's, every day. Except we're facing unprecedented rollbacks in labor laws across the U.S. facilitating the exploitation of children, which of course eases the path toward forced labour. My Freedom Day March 14 is designated My Freedom Day - a day of student-driven action to raise awareness of modern slavery. This year I was at Atlanta International School, where students organized a film festival from their own submissions, activities for the youngest students, presentations for parents. We launched our campaign for a U.S. where every child is protected from

Activists

Friday March 1, 2024

We will never stop fighting for sex workers’ rights

Ellie Finkelstein

As we observe International Sex Workers' Rights Day, news from California gives us pause to reflect. California, once hailed as a leader in progressive policies is now attempting to take a step backward in its commitment to protecting sex workers' rights. In 2022, we worked alongside partners in California to successfully repeal an archaic loitering law that targeted sex workers. We pushed for this change because laws that deny sex workers protections prevent them from being able to work safely, increasing the risk of violence and exploitation. Now, the recent legislative actions are

five pieces of clothing on a rack with a measuring mannequin to the left.

Activists

Thursday February 1, 2024

Challenging myself – and you – to rethink fashion

Kiki Lindenau

I’ve always been someone who loves to buy new clothes for the sake of buying new clothes. For the longest time, I didn’t consider the consequences this may have for the world and the people who produce these garments. Then, I met Nasreen Sheik and everything changed. Nasreen is a wonderful person - and a survivor of modern slavery. Hearing about the condition in which she was forced to make pieces of clothing by hand, earning close to nothing, and only getting paid when she finished a certain number of items per day was shocking. She spoke about getting ill due to the toxins in the

Martin Luther King, Prisons, and the 13th Amendment

Prison slavery

Friday January 12, 2024

Martin Luther King Jr., prisons, and the 13th Amendment

Robert Boneburg

In 1963, Martin Luther King wrote the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, which, more than sixty years later, speaks eloquently to the issues of that time and today. Dr. King's compelling discourse, written from the confines of a jail cell, aligns with the prison epistles of St. Paul and the writings of visionary figures like Thoreau, Gandhi, and Mandela – all of whom found inspiration behind bars. The contemplation of these writings, and these lives, invites us to grapple with enduring questions that span human history: who faces imprisonment, and for what reasons? How are those within

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