Stories and updates
2025 Wrap-Up
During 2025, we ran a campaign with our collaborators at Friends of Congo focused on the cycles of exploitation in Democratic Republic of Congo. We published a report that found that the perpetrators and beneficiaries of these human rights abuses included tech companies and electronic manufacturers who rake in billions off the Congo’s mineral wealth, while Congolese workers are left making as little as $1 USD. As an action item, we partnered with Freedom United to pormote their campaign to sop billiionaire backed forced labor. The mining industry continues to negatively impact human health of individuals in the DRC, environmental degradation, debt bondage, and forces children into hard labour. These are some of the modern forms of slavery found in DRC in the mining industry where the colonial legacy persists with corporations enriching themselves off DRC’s mineral wealth through forced labour, human rights abuses, and ecocide. Learn more about the campaign here.
Last year, we head from experts, activists, and leaders on topics related to forced labor and human trafficking, how laws that target migrants fuel exploitation, and the connection between migrant rights and labor rights in the U.S. Through our newsletters, we highlighted the work of global partners who are working within their communities to advance action, build capacity, and raise awareness to combat modern of forms of slavery.
With the support of our team members, we created resources to help raise awareness on the signs of modern slavery, a ‘Know your rights’ resource document to aid those impacted by the actions of the U.S. governement regarding mass detention and deportation of immigrants in the U.S., and updated our hotline database.
As we move forward into 2026, we will continue to fight the good fight and continue to use our platform to raise awareness of modern forms of slavery and trafficking and continue to take action to combat explotiation and forced labor.
*New campaign announcement*
By 2050, more than 143 million people in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America will be forcibly displaced from their home due to natural disasters exacerbated by climate change. As climate-driven disasters destroy livelihoods and homes, this leaves communities vulnerable to modern forms of slavery such as human trafficking, debt bondage, forced labour, early marriage, and sexual exploitation.
In collaboration with our partners at the Climate Mobility Community Action Network, we launched a campaign focused on the link between climate change, forced displacement, and modern forms of slavery. Over the next months we will be sharing educational material focused on the climate change - migration - modern slavery nexus, amplify the voices of people on the ground, and share our sign on letter to demand the UNHCR protect communities at risk of climate linked displacement and modern slavery.
Learn more about the campaign and action items here.
Action items
Below 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!
- The exploitation of labor and land are inseparable. We cannot address the climate crisis without addressing modern slavery, and we cannot address modern slavery without addressing the climate crisis. However, climate refugees still lack international legal recognition and formal protections.
- In collaboration with the Climate Mobility Climate Action Network, we are calling on you to sign the letter to the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and demand action that protect communities at risk of climate linked displacement and modern slavery.:
- Sign our letter to ensure that climate refugees are protected! See the letter here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XNT1b-s3ujL9xNLx7IY7r74yfYcWkQc4pdAS3bx6DPY/edit?usp=sharing
- Support Freedom United’s campaign Stop billionaire-back forced labor! https://www.freedomunited.org/advocate/stop-billionaire-backed-forced-labor/?simplified=true
- 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.
- 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
Modern Slavery Watch
We drafted our first blog post “Exploitation in the Congo: Who are the perpetrators? Who are the beneficiaries?” where we discuss forced labor and dangerous working conditions in the mining industry in the DRC. Foreign corporations rake in immense profits off of the Congo’s wealth, while many of those living in the DRC suffer under deadly working conditions in mines, forced displacement, and conflict.
We want to hear from you! We are inviting you to share your voice and insights on modern forms of slavery. Write a piece on any related topic, region, or sector that faces modern forms of slavery and human rights abuses. Please submit the form to connect with us! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd-SIEf7Z9d2DMLXVqdWUfgPvKlPIcH3ZBWE7g3Xlig6DZoFw/viewform
Modern Slavery Watch
We drafted our first blog post “Exploitation in the Congo: Who are the perpetrators? Who are the beneficiaries?” where we discuss forced labor and dangerous working conditions in the mining industry in the DRC. Foreign corporations rake in immense profits off of the Congo’s wealth, while many of those living in the DRC suffer under deadly working conditions in mines, forced displacement, and conflict.
We want to hear from you! We are inviting you to share your voice and insights on modern forms of slavery. Write a piece on any related topic, region, or sector that faces modern forms of slavery and human rights abuses. Please submit the form to connect with us! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd-SIEf7Z9d2DMLXVqdWUfgPvKlPIcH3ZBWE7g3Xlig6DZoFw/viewform
Member spotlight
Omer from SPARC Pakistan and his team shared their short film highlighting the harsh realities of debt bondage and modern-day slavery at brick kilns. It exposes Pakistan’s brick kiln industry - a system that keeps families enslaved for generations. Please view and share the film to raise awareness about bonded labour and modern slavery. To learn more about SPARC, visit https://sparcpk.org/
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
Visit our website to check out our educational 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!