A Libyan patrol boat opened fire on a rescue vessel in the Mediterranean days after 42 NGOs sent an open letter to Brussels about EU funding enabling violence. Aid groups say the attacks expose the deadly consequences of Europe’s migration pact with Libya.

At the Make Them Pay rally in London we highlighted how billionaire wealth has grown in parallel with forced labor. Freedom United joined voices demanding accountability, calling out fortunes built on the backs of exploited workers in supply chains, particularly fashion.

Kenyan police stopped 22 Kenyans from being trafficked into forced conscription for Russia's war on Ukraine. Authorities seized recruitment materials and arrested one suspect, exposing a syndicate exploiting job seekers through debt bondage schemes.

For years, migrant workers recruited abroad into California's agriculture sector were exploited by unscrupulous recruiters. Now, in a ground-breaking step, these recruiters will no longer operate without oversight, helping prevent human trafficking before it starts.

At 13, Shams Ali* was forced into marriage, losing her childhood and rights. Now a survivor, she warns Iraq’s new law lowering the marriage age to nine will entrench child marriage and exploitation. Her story is a call to action. www.freedomunited.org/news/child-m...

CAMPAIGN WIN! Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 1362 into law! The passage of this bill is a groundbreaking step forward in ensuring temporary migrant workers in #California are safer from exploitation, abuse, & unfair recruitment practices. More on this success: ow.ly/b7nY50X5U37

After escaping years of trafficking, Cassandra is rebuilding her life but facing crippling coerced debt from fraudulent loans made in her name. While financial institutions acknowledge her situation, the Canada Revenue Agency refuses to offer relief.

UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is putting lives at risk with her dangerous statements about trafficking survivors. Mahmood accused survivors of making “vexatious last-minute claims” relating to modern slavery to prevent their forced removal.

Pakistan’s new law banning child marriage was celebrated globally. Yet weak enforcement allows forced child marriage to persist across the country, exposing millions to exploitation, early pregnancies, domestic violence, and exclusion from education.

Africa’s mineral boom for clean energy runs on exploited workers. Lawsuits expose tech giants’ supply chain abuses over modern slavery and child deaths in cobalt mines, while women leaders fight to break the cycle and demand safe and just mining practices.

An Italian journalist’s photographs and video captured Libyan militias dumping migrants into the Mediterranean. The images expose the deadly costs of Europe’s partnership with Libya, enabling trafficking, forced labor, and murder.

London’s High Court halted the deportation of an Eritrean man, ruling the Home Office failed its legal obligations to investigate human trafficking claims, marking the first legal challenge to the UK-France controversial “one in, one out” removal policy. www.freedomunited.org/news/uk-sche...

Venezuela’s economic collapse fuels the exploitation of women, children, Indigenous people, and migrants through forced labor, sexual exploitation, and forced marriage, aided by corruption, organized crime, and weak international coordination. www.freedomunited.org/news/traffic...

Migrant workers arriving in the UK on skilled visas are being trapped in debt bondage across hotels, restaurants, & takeaway outlets. They face illegal fees, coercion, and threats of deportation—echoing the systemic modern slavery uncovered in the care sector. www.freedomunited.org/news/hospita...

Cuba’s prisons operate a state-run forced labor system, compelling at least 60,000 incarcerated people—disproportionately Afro-Cuban—to produce cigars and charcoal for export under threats, unsafe conditions, and sexual violence. www.freedomunited.org/news/cuban-c...

The Trump administration is set to cut funding for over 100 victim service providers across the US —leaving at least 3,000 survivors of human trafficking without support in effect on October 1. www.freedomunited.org/news/traffic...

🎤 We hit the streets to test people’s knowledge on modern slavery and forced child marriage. How many did you get right? 🤓 👉 Take the quiz on Forced Child Marriage: www.riddle.com/view/WpulZtdG #StreetInterview #FreedomUnited #TestYourKnowledge

Data shows that temporary visa holders are vulnerable to trafficking, yet federal agencies have looked away. California could pass a law that would strengthen protections for temporary migrant workers against exploitation by abusive labor recruiters.

Six years ago, police were tipped off by a survivor of severe labor exploitation at a factory, where 91 Malawian nationals—including 37 children—were forced to work 11-hour shifts, seven days a week. Recently, a judge convicted the traffickers to prison.

Global forced labor laws are being undermined as major shoe companies exploit labor transfer schemes in China. Workers, including Uyghur minorities, are trafficked to factories making major brands’ sneakers, while they evade accountability.

East Africans are being trafficked to southeast Asia’s cyber-scam compounds, forced to commit online fraud under brutal conditions. Criminal syndicates exploit youth unemployment and government migration programs, trapping thousands in modern slavery.

Pakistani authorities arrested NGO leader for trafficking minors, labeling them as “abandoned babies” with little proof of how they entered institutionalized care, revealing how weak safeguards in Pakistan enable such exploitation.

At least 27 million people are trapped in forced labor—making the clothes, electronics, and luxury goods that fuel billionaire fortunes. These men have the power to stop it. But they don’t. Because exploitation is profitable. Demand accountability: www.freedomunited.org/advocate/sto...

On September 3, 2025, survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse gathered on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. Their purpose was clear: to demand transparency, accountability, and the recognition of what crime had been committed against them—sex trafficking.

A prison described as “the bloodiest prison in America” is slated to be filled with migrant detainees in coming months. The facility joins an alarming list of detention centers popping up across the US.

Community initiatives in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana are reducing forced child labor in cocoa farming. By combining education and farmer support, they empower families, protect children and hold companies accountable, proving systemic change is possible.

Kenyan victims of an organ trafficking scheme revealed how doctors and brokers tricked them into selling their kidneys. Exploiting poverty, traffickers profited while victims suffered lifelong health consequences.

Hundreds of Guatemalan children faced attempted deportation without due process, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking. Already overrepresented in child labor violations, weak protections and deportation threats increase vulnerability.

In just 7 years, child labor violations surged 283% in the US. Weak protections and corporate neglect are pushing children closer to modern slavery.  Take action: www.freedomunited.or...

Australia has no import ban on forced labor goods and only requires reporting, not prevention. Anti-slavery groups are suing Kmart over supply chain risks, but with such weak laws, this case is likely just the tip of Australia’s modern slavery iceberg.

Advocates in Bangladesh are urging legal recognition of domestic workers, warning that gaps in labor laws fuel exploitation, child slavery, and trafficking. Ratifying ILO Convention 189 could secure rights, dignity, and safety for millions.

A Libyan coast guard fired “hundreds of bullets” at a rescue ship in international waters. The EU Commission has called the incident “a worrying development.” That said, it continues to support Libyan authorities under the EU’s migration cooperation deal.

Two religious leaders face charges for running a $50M trafficking scheme in the US. Exploiting faith for profit to fund their own lavish lifestyles, the accused coerced followers into forced labor in call centers, using deception, isolation, and abuse.

1.2 million Rohingya live in the world's largest refugee camp in Bangladesh. With US aid cuts and over 4,500 schools closed, families face dwindling support and are selling their children into marriage and forced labor to survive.

Think you know modern slavery? Prove it! Drop your answer in the comments. 👉 Take the 1-minute quiz: www.riddle.com/view/pPWo5RgP

South Africa could rule to put an end to the criminalization of sex work. Allowing sex workers to operate legally would help trafficking survivors to seek help without fear of arrest, and enhance cooperation with authorities in tackling trafficking.

In his testimony to the California Senate, Joe Martinez of CIERTO exposes a hidden pipeline of abuse: foreign labor recruiters charging workers up to $10K just to access legal jobs in California. @sunitajainlls.bsky.social Sign the petition supporting AB1362: www.freedomunited.org/advocate/cal...

Five people face charges in a human trafficking case involving minors as young as 12, linked to motels and salons in Nebraska. Members of the public tipped off authorities—underscoring the importance of awareness building on what trafficking looks like.

Migrant workers recruited to the US are trapped in debt before they even leave home—charged illegal fees, threatened, & pushed toward exploitation. Without urgent reforms like the proposed California bill, unethical recruiters will keep profiting while workers pay the price.

In 2024 alone, 3,812 people died or went missing at sea trying to reach Europe. Humanitarian groups warn EU policies blocking rescues and outsourcing to Libya fuel trafficking risks, deliberately pushing migrants into forced labor and severe abuse.

As climate chaos intensifies, workers are forced into ever more dangerous conditions—picking crops through wildfire smoke, wading floodwaters, and laboring without protection.

Slavery didn't end. It's happening now. From political backsliding to corporate abuse, exploitation is rising while governments scale back. On the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, donate to join the fight. 🔗 freedomunited.org/donate

The IOM is backing a new campaign by Mission 89 to stop child trafficking in sport. Mission 89 campaigns against the exploitation of young athletes, exposing how traffickers use the dream of stardom to deceive and abuse children.

On World Humanitarian Day, we’re grateful to all who are working to end modern slavery—from our partners driving change alongside us, to businesses and governments taking responsibility, and especially our supporters who take action every day. 🧡

At a California jail, individuals awaiting trial have accused jail officials of forcing them to work without pay. The lawsuit, filed against the county and a private contractor, alleges that detainees had to work in food services and janitorial roles—or face punishment.

Nepal’s ban on women migrating for domestic work forces thousands into irregular routes, leaving them vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, and even death abroad. When these women die, their families are left with debt and no justice.

At 15, Roshni Perween was forced to marry a man three times her age. Overcoming sexual violence and stigma, she now works to end child marriage, becoming a nationally recognized change-maker.

Russia’s war on Ukraine has fueled labor shortages, prompting the transfer of thousands of North Koreans to Russia. Experts and escapees report they endure “slave-like conditions,” generating income for the regime—adding to the war’s human toll beyond Ukraine and Russia.

📢 Get to know Freedom United—Part 3! Our Community Engagement Officer is sharing what she’s learned about modern slavery and the actions you can take to address the root causes and protect millions from exploitation around the world. ✍️ Sign a petition at freedomunited.org/advocate

The number of potential trafficking victims in the UK has reached an all-time high—with long delays, poor decision-making, and a lack of trust in the government’s protection framework, survivors are left in limbo, some for years. www.freedomunited.or...