Freedom For All

In Cameroon, our partner Survivors' network - SN, Cameroon is also celebrating #MyFreedomDay Listen to what they have to say on this special day, and be part of the movement to make a change by taking the pledge at cnn.com/myfreedom!

Across the Philippines, hundreds of students have now taken the 2021 #MyFreedomDay pledge, promising to recognize the signs of human trafficking, speak up if they see something that isn’t right, and raise awareness among their peers about the potential human rights abuses that go into producing goods such as chocolate and electronics. CNN's #MyFreedomDay is a worldwide event dedicated to spreading knowledge in schools and universities about fighting human trafficking. This... year, iFIGHT, the youth movement started by our partner Voice of the Free - VF Foundation, Inc., has stepped up their efforts to raise awareness while having fun. They are inviting students from across the country to take part in different contests (the longest video chain contest, a poster making contest, a vlog contest and a speech contest). We are impressed with the students’ creativity and work, and invite you to take the pledge to make a difference as well, at cnn.com/myfreedom! See more

Cecilia Oebanda, who founded our partner organization Voice of the Free - VF Foundation, Inc., will be part of a great panel discussing what industries and consumers can do to fight modern slavery at the Stop Slavery Awards. Organized by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the Awards recognize NGOs, the public sector, grassroots initiatives, journalists & businesses that are fighting modern slavery & human trafficking. Register at: https://bit.ly/3pnq87I

Our friends at the Human Trafficking Institute have launched Trafficking Matters, a new podcast. Led by the Institute’s legal fellows Samatha Franks and Alicen Rodolph, Trafficking Matters covers a range of topics related to human trafficking and features those who work to end it. In the first episode, Human Trafficking Myths & Legends, Samantha and Alicen unpack the myths surrounding human trafficking and discuss ways to get involved in anti-trafficking work. Check it out - you can listen and subscribe to Trafficking Matters at: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1551182312

Our partner Challenging Heights is currently raising money for their February-March rescue mission. Until Feb. 4th, a generous donor is matching donations dollar-for-dollar up to $10,000. Every year, hundreds of children are forced to work on fishing boats on Lake Volta in Ghana. Challenging Heights rescues them and brings them to their shelter, where the children receive food, counseling, and schooling. Rescue missions are logistically challenging, and fairly expensive. Beca...use Lake Volta is very large, rescues can take up to two weeks and cost about $1,100 per child. The good news is that every time the Challenging Heights team gets out on the water, about 30 children are set free. Support their return home by donating to Challenging Heights at www.challengingheights.funraise.org or directly through this post before February 4th. Thank you for your support.

In the past few weeks, our partner Repórter Brasil has been continuously targeted by a series of online attacks aimed at shutting down their website and trying to force them to remove reports that were published between 2003 and 2005. This reporting includes articles about slave-like conditions and human trafficking in gold mines in northeast Brazil and on sugar plane plantations. Simultaneously, people unsuccessfully tried to break into Repórter Brasil’s São Paulo office. An... investigation has been launched by the city police as well as the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office. We at Freedom For All join the Brazilian Journalist Federation, the Brazilian Press Association, the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders (RSF USA) in condemning these violent attempts at censoring Repórter Brasil. We stand by their decision to not give in to illegal constraints. See more