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Friday October 23, 2020

How survivor recovery is hampered by racism

As we approach the end of October, Black History Month in the U.K., we are remembering and encouraging reflection on the enslaved people who resisted, campaigned, and strategized relentlessly to abolish historical slavery – and what lessons can the anti-modern slavery community take from history?  The month exists because the role and contributions of Black people are often overlooked, facilitated in part by the fact that in the U.K. Black history is not embedded in the national educational curriculum. Just consider the prominence given to (white Member of

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Imagine taken by the Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations Partner Spotlight
Friday October 16, 2020

Looking back on a year of partnership against modern slavery

This post by our Advocacy Officer, Carlo Ladd, was originally published by the United Nations Association of New York. The United Nations Association of New York has long maintained a special commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 8.7: to “eradicate forced labor, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labor.” Last year’s UN Day Gala, indeed, was entirely dedicated to the issue, with guests including Nicholas Kristof and Mira Sorvino honored for their work against this most heinous form of exploitation.

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Child Slavery
Thursday October 8, 2020

Why my experience proves we need to end forced child marriage

July 22, 2021: WIN! New York became the sixth state in the United States to pass a bill to end child marriage without any exceptions, meaning marriage before 18 is officially illegal! The bill will go into effect in 30 days! Forced child marriage in the U.S.: In the U.S. there are only four states, at the time of writing, that completely ban underage marriages. Most states have a minimum age of 18 but allow loopholes like parental consent for under 18s, (some with no statutory minimum age) that can leave girls in particular, vulnerable to being coerced into marriage. A minor may not

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Forced Labor
Wednesday October 7, 2020

Urging investors to call on P&G to act on tainted palm oil

Yesterday, investors in global consumer goods company Proctor and Gamble (P&G) received a brief in which Freedom United highlights their supply chain links to forced labor ahead of their upcoming shareholders' meeting.  Freedom United joined Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and its partners urging P&Gs investors to vote in support of Shareholder Proposal #5 for P&G to report on its efforts to eliminate deforestation and forced labor in its supply chains. The briefing note highlights a series of concerns spotlighted by global NGOs in recent years surrounding P&G’s 

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Forced Labor
Wednesday September 30, 2020

US Customs and Border Protection bans palm oil imports

On September 30, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced a ban on palm oil imported from FGV Holdings Berhad (FGV) — one of Malaysia’s largest palm oil companies and a joint venture partner and major palm oil supplier to Procter & Gamble — due to its use of forced labor. The ban, officially known as a withhold release order (WRO), was issued in response to a Tariff Act complaint filed over a year ago by Global Labor Justice - International Labor Rights Forum (GLJ - ILRF), Rainforest Action Network, and SumofUs. According to 19 U.S.C. §1307 imports produced by forced

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