FreedomUnited.org

Friday May 24, 2024

Virginia elected officials seek to glorify slavery legacies

Robert Boneberg

Freedom United works to abolish all forms of modern slavery, wherever they may exist across the globe. While our focus is on the present and future, it's essential to understand how historical contexts shape our efforts. Accordingly, we find it disheartening when elected officials use their offices to glorify the legacies of slavery. In recent years, there has been a commendable effort by various American states, local governments, and the federal government to remove symbols honoring figures associated with slavery. In 2021, the Shenandoah County Board of Education (SCBE) in

Solar panels in the foreground, wind turbines in the back on the right, and a city in the background, the whole image has the sun shining through

Environment

Friday April 19, 2024

How just are “green technologies” really?

Kiki Lindenau

This Earth Day, as we applaud the strides of the environmental movement, a pressing question emerges: Are the green technologies we champion as pillars of sustainability really as ethical as they seem? While green solutions like electric vehicles, solar panels, and wind turbines are celebrated for their role in combating climate change, there's a darker side to these innovations that goes unnoticed. Ethics come into question when you’re driving a car or powering a home with technology that, beneath its clean exterior, involves forced labor and exploitative conditions. The cobalt that

Debt Bondage

Wednesday April 10, 2024

MBS’s “vision” for Saudi Arabia relies on rampant abuse of foreign workers—like my father

Ahmed Abdulumer

This article was written by guest contributor, Ahmed Abdulumer, and was originally published by DAWN. Ahmed Abdulumer’s father, an Indian national, was a foreign worker in Saudi Arabia from 1981 until 2020. It has been called a form of modern-day slavery. The abusive "kafala" or sponsorship system for foreign workers in Saudi Arabia gives their employers near-absolute authority over their legal status in the country, including their ability to leave a job. The kafala system applies to millions of migrant workers in the kingdom who account for more than 80 percent of the private

Child Slavery

Thursday April 4, 2024

The fight continues: U.S. states loosen child labor laws as violations keep soaring

Rebekah Enoch

Recent analysis shows that over the past 10 years child labor violations across the U.S. have tripled, reports the Washington Post. Investigators have uncovered an uptick in labor violations in standard work for teens, like fast food-restaurants and other service industries. Multiple instances of minors working in dangerous jobs that federal law prohibits, like meatpacking, manufacturing, and construction, have also been uncovered at increasing rates. Despite that, at least 16 states have one or more bills to weaken their child labor laws. What’s going on? “Irresponsible and dystopian”

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

Child Slavery

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

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