In keeping with EPIC's commitment to international human rights, EPIC was a founding patron of Free the Slaves, a non-profit organization working to end slavery worldwide. EPIC believes Free the Slaves and its sister organization Anti-Slavery International in the UK to be the most effective organizations fighting contemporary slavery. They do research on modern slavery and then work to raise public awareness and educate policymakers. They promote slave-free supply chains and build consumer demand for slave-free products. They also work directly with local organizations that are actually breaking down doors to liberate illegally held slaves and afterward providing services for rehabilitation.

Working in the coconut industry

Although slavery has existed for thousands of years, there is a resurgence of slavery today. Slavery did not end in 1865. Changes in the world economy and individual societies over the past 50 years have enabled its resurgence. Population explosion, mostly in the developing world, has made millions of economically vulnerable people around the world potential slaves. This "supply" makes slaves today cheaper than they have ever been and no longer a major investment worth maintaining. Rapid social and economic changes have displaced many people who are then powerless and jobless. Government corruption around the world allows slavery to go unpunished, even though it is illegal worldwide. Most slaves are forced to work in agriculture, mining, labor-intensive manufacturing, or prostitution. Their exploited labor flows into the new global economy and into our lives.

According to a National Geographic feature article, there were 27 million slaves worldwide in 2003, even though it is illegal everywhere. To learn more about contemporary slavery, see this article in the September 2003 issue of National Geographic or the Free the Slaves website, www.freetheslaves.net. Free the Slaves is working to increase the awareness of contemporary slavery and, with partners around the world, it is fighting to free slaves and eradicate slavery.

A young boy spins cotton

Free the Slaves sees its work in the context of efforts around the world to enable people to meet their basic needs. Access to economic opportunities, health services, and universal education, plus a strong rule of law, would reduce the vulnerability of poor people to enslavement. Additionally Free the Slaves believes that the existence of slavery calls for an immediate specific and direct approach to its eradication.

Free the Slaves exists because:

• All people have the right to be free from any form of slavery, and to assert that right.

• All people who are or have been enslaved should have the opportunity to realize their full potential.

| Home | About Us | Agricultural Techniques | Annual Reports | Contact Us |
|Member News | Projects|