Stories and Updates
We are excited to announce that this month, we launched our joint campaign with Friends of Congo focused on forced labor in the mining industry and its root causes in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 65 years after Congo’s independence from Belgian rule, colonial legacy exists persists with corporations enriching themselves of off DRC’s mineral wealth through forced labour, human rights abuses, and ecocide. During this campaign, we plan to provide educational materials, hosting webinars, and sharing ways to get involved in advocacy to address the root causes of these abuses. “The Congolese people – not multinational corporations – have the right to control and benefit from their resources.” - FOC and ICAMS
In July, we hosted a virtual call with Marwa Bjawi, a Tunisian trade unionist and social activist, who discussed her work to fight for better protections for migrant workers living in Tunisia. As an alum of International the Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ITC-ILO), Marwa is currently working as part of the FAIR Project, a joint initiative between the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), which focuses on promoting fair recruitment practices and improving protections for migrant workers in Tunisia. During the call, attendees had the opportunity to share resources and discuss global collaborative efforts to advance the work of unions and protect migrant workers.
Finally, our work alongside our partners in rural Sri Lanka is back up on our website. Go check it out, and if you’re able, donate to our members’ efforts to expand education access in their community.
Action Items
Here are some actions that you can take as we work towards a world free from forced labor, human trafficking, and the systemic inequalities that perpetuate exploitation! For additional action items, see our Action Library!
- Call US elected officials about supporting immigrant rights and protecting T-Visas. For those in the United States, this can include calling the congressional switchboard at (202) 224 - 3121 and asking for your representative or senators. Find your elected officials here: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member.
- Review our Guide to learn about forced labor along supply chains, ways to minimize harm when making purchases, and a number of enterprises created by and/or in support of survivors.
- Sign our pledge to boycott abusive farming practices in rural Sri Lanka! And support our members who are crowdfunding to expand education access in their community. Learn more about the campaign here.
Member spotlight
On the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, Moussa Bagayoko, the Executive Director of the Association for the Promotion of Development Initiatives [APID] co-hosted an awareness campaign around trafficking and exploitation in the border area between Mali and Guinea. For the two weeks leading up to this event, APID took part in efforts to send supplies to food centers that support trafficking survivors, help local anti-exploitation organizations capacity build, and raise awareness among the population.
Call for Collaborative opportunity in the fight against modern slavery and human trafficking
At the International Coalition Against Modern Slavery, we believe that lasting change in the fight against modern slavery and human trafficking requires collective action. Change doesn’t come from the top down – it comes from all of us working together to organize, raise awareness, and take action.
If you have any ideas for topics you’d like to cover, resources you’d like to help us create, talks you’d like to help host, or work/research you’d like us to spotlight, reach out to us at coalitionagainstmodernslavery@gmail.com.
ICAMS Resources
Go to our website and check out our resources!
- Signs of modern slavery
- Myths of modern slavery
- Know your rights
- Hotline database - Does your organization or an organization that you know of provide services to individuals who have experienced human trafficking and modern forms of slavery? Complete this interest form to be included in our hotline database!
Opportunities
Find additional opportunities here. If you are aware of a funding or career opportunity, please share with us at coalitionagainstmodernslavery@gmail.com!