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11 years. 1,000 survivors.
This #GivingTuesday, we are celebrating a huge milestone—more than 1,000 survivors have come through our care in 11 years. That’s one survivor every four days.
Maria's journey of restoration is just one of 1,000 stories of hope, freedom, and justice YOU have made possible. And we believe there are thousands more stories like Maria’s to come because of your generosity.
What Unites Us All?
A belief in freedom for every single human life. Human trafficking is robbing millions of basic human rights. And this October 19th, Walk For Freedom is our chance to come together and unite behind one cause.
Walk For Freedom is our global response to human trafficking–an outward expression of our inward desire to see slavery abolished everywhere, forever. It’s our way of telling the world that slavery still exists and that it will never be okay–not on our watch. It’s local & it’s global. And we can’t do it without you!
Watch the “Walk For Freedom 2019 Details” video with Ben & Emily below!
Can You See Me? South Africa is now LIVE! This campaign exists to bring awareness to the millions of men, women, and children who are currently trapped in slavery.
Join us in spreading the word about human trafficking in South Africa by saving the images below and sharing them out to your friends.
Learn more about Can You See Me? South Africa >
Fundraising: The Easy & Impactful Way to End Slavery.
Did you know that for every dollar you fundraise, you’re directly impacting lives around the world?
• Traffickers are prosecuted in Greece
• Victims are identified in Ukraine
• Children are protected in Thailand
• Hotlines are called in South Africa
• Lives are restored in America
We’ve made fundraising easier than ever by providing everything you need to get started. Through your Walk For Freedom fundraising page, you get a toolkit that includes:
• Fact sheet
• Freedom Report
• Press Release + supporting logo
• Imagery for social media
• Templates & an ‘Everything You Need To Know’ flyer to help you invite your friends and family, and to reach your goal!
Start fundraising today by logging into your A21 account > and make your Walk For Freedom impact even greater!
A Deeper Look into A21 Aftercare: What is a Freedom Center?
See more photos of our
A21 Freedom Centers >
Since the beginning of A21, we have aimed to provide effective aftercare for survivors of human trafficking that helps to restore hope, dreams, and possibilities for their future. Over the years, as we continued to build our aftercare programs, we realized the need for long-term care that helps survivors take steps toward healing and independence.
Once a survivor is identified or assisted out of their trafficking situation, they are often placed in an immediate shelter or safe house for the initial stabilization period. This could last from a couple of weeks to a few months. Our A21 Home in Greece assists with this kind of accommodation, in addition to our teams around the globe providing funding for both short-term and long-term accommodation.
A21 aftercare services are based around our Community Model, which provides survivors with next steps toward an independent life in their community. At the heart of this model, is our Freedom Centers.
Our Freedom Centers provide a safe environment for survivors to come and partake in programs and activities that help them take these steps: from job searches to counseling, to the simple expression of creativity, to language classes, to community-building.
We place our Freedom Centers very strategically, aiming to find locations where we have certain resources within close proximity to create the best environment for survivors to thrive and succeed. Some of the key things we look for include:
• Close travel time from their accommodation to the Freedom Center
• Public transportation options
• Access to great health services (hospitals, counseling services, etc.)
• Community support options where they can find healthy friendships (sports teams, religious groups, etc.)
• Affordable education
• Job availability
With these resources available, survivors are able to easily access different services, care, support, and training they need to achieve their goals, live independently, and reduce their vulnerability to revictimization. Since opening our first Freedom Center in North Carolina in 2016, we now have one in Greece and Bulgaria, and we have seen great success through them. Survivors are learning new skills, experiencing education, stepping into jobs, and creating the life they want for themselves.
To be a part of the life long change that is taking place through Freedom Centers, give today! >
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Generous company donates $150K to A21, Matching Donations up to $300K!
Our latest campaign, “A Line Out: from slavery to freedom” focuses on our National Hotlines–a proven way to assist more victims trapped in slavery.
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Through this center, survivors will be able to partake in counseling, job searches, vocational skills training, language classes, creative arts therapy, and take steps toward full independence. It's because of supporters like you that we are able to provide spaces like this where survivors can journey toward and hope for a better future.
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Three Survivors of Sex Trafficking Now Free:
One survivor was recruited from her home country for a job opportunity in Greece. Thinking she would be working in a cafe, she traveled to Greece and was forced into sexual exploitation under a false debt, threats, and violence. She was able to escape with the help of a client and reach out for help.
Two female sex trafficking survivors are also free from exploitation. The survivors were recruited through false promises of a better life and forced into prostitution. Bravely managing to escape, the survivors are now safe and receiving the assistance they need.
To help directly with our efforts to end trafficking, Sponsor Freedom today >
Court Case Victory in Ukraine:
The survivor was a victim of sex trafficking and was assisted to safety after she had made a signal to a passerby. This month, the court issued a verdict on her case and the traffickers were sentenced to five years in prison.
Human Trafficking Awareness Program Launches:
In March, we launched the Human Trafficking Awareness Program- a FREE resource to help you raise awareness and educate your community. The program includes a facilitator training guide, a downloadable digital workbook, presentation slides, and video series. So far we have seen 1,093 downloads to the program, increasing awareness across the globe.
Did you know that we were featured on My Freedom Day on CNN?
Read the full article here >
Amazon Wish List Gift Baskets:
Last weekend, our Freedom Sponsors and A-Team members purchased gifts from an A21 Amazon Wish List that our U.S. aftercare team made. The gifts were for Easter baskets that our team gave to survivors and their children in our care.
– Ali, North Carolina Freedom Center
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2018 Annual Freedom Report launches:
Our Annual Freedom Report features real stories of hope, victory, and restoration that happened in 2018. More survivors in our care, more court cases won, more traffickers sentences, more professionals trained, and more students reached, all because of your support.
As you read through this report, know that none of this could have been possible without you. With your help, we will continue to abolish slavery everywhere, forever.
Promised false jobs, deceived, and exploited in the southern part of Ukraine. But through the partnership of our team, local authorities, and other NGO's, all 94 were assisted to safety, and provided basic needs, food, toiletries, and other services.
Our team supported the identification and safeguarding of potential victims of trafficking on 13 targeted flight operations, alongside the UK Border Force and police at Gatwick Airport. These operations target pre-specified flight departures or destination countries, in which A21 supports law enforcement by conducting victim identification screenings with passengers.
Learn more about the campaign we operate in airports >
Refugees who come into Greece are extremely vulnerable to trafficking— in one day, we were able to identify and assist five victims of trafficking alongside the help of a partner organization. Our aftercare team was able to provide necessary psychological and physical support for each survivor.
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Abducted from his home and exploited in Ukraine. His traffickers enslaved him for 10 years before he was identified and assisted. But today, he is free.
Promised jobs in Denmark– but instead they were kept in a trailer and forced to work long hours with little or no pay. After the men managed to escape, they called A21. Through coordination with a partner organization, we were able to assist them and they are now safely back in Bulgaria.
Three survivors in Greece:
Deceived by false promises and forced into the sex trade. Some were tricked by trusted family, friends, and neighbors. But now, they are free–and have the chance to claim their dreams back.
A Bulgarian woman was trafficked for 8 years
before she was rescued through a police operation. She was connected to A21 through our network of partner organizations, and today she is employed by our social enterprise, Liberty.
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Newsletter.
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