Written by DeAnna Britton, Relate Contributing Writer
Many people may think that slavery is a word only found in history books, but surprisingly there are more than 27 million slaves in the world today.
Free the Slaves (FTS) is a non-profit organization that focuses on bringing freedom to all individuals around the world. Most of the people who are enslaved work without getting paid and stay because they are being threatened with violence or are not allowed to leave. This often occurs when people cannot get their basic needs met such as education, health care and an honest government.
The reason FTS was created was in response to Kevin Bales’ book, Disposable People. In 2000, Jolene Smith and Peggy Callahan joined Bales and his fight to end slavery around the world.
The guiding principles of the organization revolve around believing that all people have the right to be free from slavery of any form and to be able to reach their full potential. They work to accomplish this by basing all of their strategies on accurate information and research.
The approach taken by the FTS team is to work with grassroots organizations around the world where slavery is thriving and help to free them. They then document their stories in order to catch the attention of powerful leaders and raise awareness of this ongoing battle. One of their goals is to recognize which businesses thrive because of the work of slaves and to clear those names from their businesses so that consumers stop supporting those who use slaves to make their products. They also work with the governments in order to make laws against slavery and hold them accountable for making sure they enforce these laws.
Like every other cause to help make the world a little better, there are always things you can do to get involved. One of the main things you should do if you want to get involved is to educate yourself. You can find documents and research here. The next step to take is to spread the word to everyone you know that would be willing to help with the cause and to get them involved, too. Join the Movement and become a member of Free the Slaves and sign up on their website. If you want to directly help with the fight, you can volunteer or apply for an unpaid internship. One of the most important ways to help is to donate; whether it be your money or your time, you can make a difference just by showing interest.
Slavery should not be a current concern in today’s world, but somehow it is. People enslave other people but it takes people who want to make a difference to stop this ongoing battle. You can be those people and you can see the end of slavery forever.
Tags: Disposable People, free the slaves, FTS, Jolene Smith, Kevin Bale, modern slavery, Peggy Callahan
