Anti-Slavery International

Anti-Slavery International, founded in 1839, is the worlds oldest

international human rights organization and the only charity in the
United Kingdom to work exclusively against slavery. They work at local,
national and international levels to eliminate all forms of slavery
around the world by supporting research to assess the scale of slavery
in order to identify measures to end it, working with local organizations
to raise public awareness of slavery, educating the public about the
realities of slavery and campaigning for its end, and lobbying
governments and intergovernmental agencies to make slavery a
priority issue and to develop and implement plans to eliminate slavery.
Anti-Slavery International is committed to eradicating all forms of
slavery throughout the world including forced labor, bonded labor,
trafficking of human beings, descent-based slavery and the worst
forms of child labor. Their work tries to respond to slavery in a holistic
way, dealing also with the root causes and consequences of slavery.
They take multiple approaches to achieve their goal in a long-term and
sustainable way. While collecting information about these human rights
abuses, they bring them to the attention of the public and promote
public action to end them. They identify ways in which abuses can be
brought to an end, and influence policymakers and governments or
other institutions at national and international levels to take action
accordingly. Support to victims of slavery and similar practices in their
struggle for freedom is brought by them, particularly by working with,
and building the capacity of, local partner organizations to effectively
tackle these abuses in their own countries. This NGO empowers
individuals and communities vulnerable to slavery to demand respect
for their human rights, access effective remedies and obtain protection
from slavery. Their commitment to eliminate slavery is demonstrated
by increasing the amount of awareness raised among the general
public and key social agents.
Their programs always involve working closely with local
partners, benefiting from their experience and empowering them to
combat slavery through awareness raising at the local level, research
and provision of services for victims. Additionally they contribute to
tackling the root causes and consequences of slavery, from the
facilitation of access to education to redress for people who managed
to leave slavery. Their advocacy work takes place through public
awareness raising and campaigning, engagement with the media and
lobbying national governments and inter-governmental foray, for
example the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union
and the International Labor Organization. Their advocacy work also
involves carrying out and publishing research on these different types
of slavery and advocating for changes in policies and behavior, which
will contribute to their eradication. Advocacy and programs are closely

linked, as we convey to key decision makers the messages of victims

and partners in the field for an effective action against slavery. Through
their partners they also work directly with local communities affected
by or vulnerable to slavery to raise awareness of their rights and
empower them to claim their rights and lead their lives in the way they
wish free from slavery.
Donations to Anti-Slavery International could help support many
lives in different ways. $30 could pay for a training session for three
local support workers in Mauritania so they can identify cases of
slavery and alert local authorities. $30 could provide psychological
assistance for four abused child domestic workers in Tanzania to help
them overcome the abuse suffered while in domestic servitude. $75
could pay for 30 potential migrants from the rural areas of Nepal to
learn about the dangers of migrating to the Middle East for domestic
work. $100 helps provide specialist training to law courts and police
forces so they can identify victims of slavery and to support them in
testifying against their traffickers so that the real criminals can be
imprisoned. $115 could pay for one police officer in the UK to be
trained on how to recognize and protect victims of trafficking. $770
could pay for 20 women of slave descent in West Africa to set up
income generating activities together. $1,700 would allow
representatives of communities in Senegal to organize a campaign in
the capital city calling for an end to child begging. $10,000 would pay
for six herds of 40 goats for communities established by former slaves
in Niger, allowing them to make and sell goats cheese to support
themselves. $30,800 could help protect 1,500 laborers from debt
bondage in 100 brick kilns in India, help ensure they can access their
legal rights and entitlements, enable female workers to earn an
independent wage, and release 500 of their children from child labor,
so that they can attend school.