Anti-Slavery International

www.antislavery.org

Anti-Slavery International, founded in 1839, is the world's oldest international human rights organisation and the only charity in the United Kingdom to work exclusively against slavery and related abuses. We work at local, national and international levels to eliminate the system of slavery around the world by:

• Urging governments of countries with slavery to develop and implement measures to end it;
• Lobbying governments and intergovernmental agencies to make slavery a priority issue;
• Supporting research to assess the scale of slavery in order to identify measures to end it;
• Working with local organisations to raise public awareness of slavery;
• Educating the public about the realities of slavery and campaigning for its end.

Anti-Slavery International work effectively towards achieving our goal of a slave-free world by researching and publishing information on the issues central to our work: debt bondage, forced labour, forced marriage, the worst forms of child labour, human trafficking and traditional slavery. Results from research undertaken is then brought before international bodies in order to promote laws to protect those exploited by these practices.

Anti-Slavery International's work has produced real change. Throughout the
last century, the organisation was involved in many successful campaigns,
such as those to stop the abuse of rubber workers in the Belgian Congo and
the use of child slaves -- Mui Tsai -- in Hong Kong. In the 21st century,
our success continues:

• In 2003, following the first national survey of slavery in Niger, which we conducted with our local partner Timidria, the Government introduced a new law against slavery with sentences of 30 years in prison for offenders. Within six months of this measure over 200 slaves were freed.
• In 2002, after years of pressure from Anti-Slavery International working with local organisations in Nepal, the Government passed a law declaring bonded labour illegal.
• In 2001, we launched a campaign against human trafficking, which has successfully raised awareness among decision makers and the public and led to increased action to end this modern-day slave trade.
• In 2000, Anti-Slavery International initiated a new programme with local partners in six West African countries to end the cross border trafficking of children, leading to the first anti-trafficking network of its kind in the region.