Beyond Slavery
Beyond Trafficking and Slavery seeks to help those trying to understand forced labour, trafficking and slavery. It is a part of
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- Help us win an award! Beyond Trafficking and Slavery has just been nominated for Freedom United's annual awards in the Storytelling for Freedom category. It's people's choice-style, so cast your votes and tell your friends. Thank you! www.freedomunited.org/2026-for-fre...
- Our final editorial: THANK YOU to everyone who helped us make BTS a success over the past 11 years. We will forever be in your debt, and we will miss you! Take care. www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- We wondered how the US govt has evolved internally on anti-trafficking, so we asked Luis Cdebaca – one of the people who helped set it all up
- When dairy workers made common cause with Palestine solidarity activists, the result was radical love in the public square www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Radical feminists and religious groups got into bed together once. Now they're broadening the affair, says @gaatw.bsky.social www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Our final feature is rolling out! We wanted to end on a positive note, so asked a bunch of amazing people to write about their experiences with cross-movement solidarity and organising. We're very excited to share it with you. Enjoy! www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryAnti-trafficking killjoys struggle to get beyond trafficking and slavery. The only way to truly get beyond anti-trafficking is to stop making it the main character. Our final @beyondslavery.bsky.social feature on solidarities beyond silos www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryOur last ever series on openDemocracy’s Beyond Trafficking & Slavery launched today. It’s all about solidarity and we’ve got an amazing line up. Feels good to leave on a more positive and hopeful note. Enjoy! @beyondslavery.bsky.social @opendemocracy.net www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryNext out in our final @beyondslavery.bsky.social feature is this brilliant piece by Jake Hall about Wages for Housework. An important historical lens on solidarities beyond silos on the global stage, and the legacies of this trailblazing movement. www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryNext up in our solidarities feature, this vital piece on blindspots and tensions around trade union organising to support seasonal workers. By the brilliant @mellino.bsky.social as a collab between @beyondslavery.bsky.social & @tbij.bsky.social
- It seems that shootings at sea are just par for the course in Starmer’s longstanding strategy to outsource borders. Read the story ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- "Even if we want to start a business, there are no customers. Most people already fled." The closing spaces for Rohingya livelihoods in Myanmar and Bangladesh ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Denied the status of student or worker, Rohingya refugees in Malaysia carve out informal spaces for themselves, hoping for a future. Read the latest in our series on refugee labour in the global economy ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- A year and a half into the war in Sudan, community support has been a lifeline – but it’s been stretched near to breaking ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Reposted by Beyond SlaverySudanese in Uganda: ‘Life didn’t stop with the war’
- "I am convinced that the Sudanese people are capable of making peace and shaping their future." How Sudanese refugees have adapted to displacement in Uganda ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Increasingly hostile migration policies in Brazil mean that, more than ever, building solidarity needs creativity and strong alliances. Next up in our series on refugees in the global economy ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Work in Brazil is precarious and exploitative for refugees – a situation long faced by marginalised citizens. Continuing our series on refugees in the global economy ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Kurds working in demolition are plugging a much-needed labour gap in Japan. But a lack of legal status makes them vulnerable – and they've been increasingly deported after a legal 'loophole' was closed in 2023. Read the piece ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Experience the sounds and sights of the Al-Hassan industrial zone in Jordan 🔊⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- “It seems that this time they're serious about wanting all foreign workers out of the country.” How refugees got caught in Jordan’s campaign against informal work ⤵️⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryExcellent new series on refugees in the global economy. Really thoughtful pieces across a wide range of international contexts.
- Labour markets and refugees are increasingly dependent on each other, but the markets always have the upper hand. Aslı Salihoğlu and @cthibos.bsky.social kicking off our new series on refugee labour in the global economy ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- ‘Empowerment’ models let refugees into labour markets, but they also remove safety nets and leave room for exploitation. Read the next instalment in our series on refugees in the global economy ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Poland was commended for welcoming over a million Ukrainians fleeing war – but those refugees have since hit a glass ceiling ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- 🚨 We all want accountability for Big Tech, but the Online Safety Act’s moralising aims are hurting LGBTQ+ people and sex workers ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Displacement from Venezuela taught me that class has no borders ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryDisposable yet indispensable: refugees in the global economy
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryTen years on, Venezuelans still face precarity in Colombia
- Displaced Venezuelans found support and protection in Colombia. Ten years on, more must be done to prevent their exploitation ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Refugees deserve work that matches their skills and ambitions – yet too often job programmes are merely an exit strategy for aid. Next up in our series ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Labour markets and refugees are increasingly dependent on each other, but the markets always have the upper hand. Aslı Salihoğlu and @cthibos.bsky.social kicking off our new series on refugee labour in the global economy ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryLegislation is only part of the puzzle. Without access to justice and *enforceable* remediation, the cards are stacked against workers. Read these shocking cases of workers left without a penny, despite winning at tribunal against their former employers.
- 🚨 Our new investigation out today reveals how thousands of people who've taken their bosses to employment tribunals & won, never got paid, even after they approached the government for help. This has serious implications for the Employment rights bill. www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryRescue ship shooting: Where is the EU’s red line with Libya?
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryReparations for racial injustice: Black fathers must be first in line
- This is the first project to give women in prison recurring cash support. Their long-term goal is prison abolition. From Andrea James of the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, in the last instalment of our series ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Racial inequities mean Black kids increasingly grow up without fathers in the US. Reparations could break the cycle. Read the latest piece in our series on reparations for racial injustice ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- The US is built on stolen labour. It’s time to settle the debt ✍️ Richard Wallace, Equity and Transformation Read part 4 of our series ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryEverybody knows the Libyan Coast Guard is involved in the mass abuse/torture/murder of people in Libya. Over the years this hasn't been enough for the EU to break off its partnership. The LCG is now targeting NGOs - apparently that used to be a Commission red line, but we'll see if it still is.
- The Libyan Coast Guard fired hundreds of bullets at a rescue ship. The European Commission had suggested direct fire would be a ‘red line’. Now the line has been crossed, they show no signs of ending the partnership with Libya. ✍️ @freylindsay.bsky.social www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- The Libyan Coast Guard fired hundreds of bullets at a rescue ship. The European Commission had suggested direct fire would be a ‘red line’. Now the line has been crossed, they show no signs of ending the partnership with Libya. ✍️ @freylindsay.bsky.social www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryPrison labour: the last stronghold of slavery in the US
- Black Americans are disproportionately incarcerated and exploited with prison labour. It’s time to finish the work of abolition ✍️ @biancatylek.bsky.social ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- The ACLU of Louisiana transferred wealth from the slave trade to survivors of racist policing. It’s a template for reparative justice ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Slavery caused stark wealth inequalities in the US – now that wealth must be returned to its rightful owners ✍️ Nika Soon-Shiong at the Fund for Guaranteed Income ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryOn Sunday, the migrant rescue ship Ocean Viking was attacked by armed men in international waters. The assailants: the Libyan Coast Guard, sponsored by the European Union to police the Mediterranean.
- Reposted by Beyond Slavery“Ultimately workers and employers both need to know that the workers have the option to withdraw their labour and find another job, and won’t lose their immigration status or risk destitution if they are unable to work" - @focusonlabour.bsky.social, in this new piece by @freylindsay.bsky.social
- Kate Roberts @focusonlabour.bsky.social says the Employment Rights Bill (due back in parliament) “won’t do much” for seasonal workers. She says it's essentially incompatible with Labour’s commitment to improving labour standards. ✍️ @freylindsay.bsky.social
- Kate Roberts @focusonlabour.bsky.social says the Employment Rights Bill (due back in parliament) “won’t do much” for seasonal workers. She says it's essentially incompatible with Labour’s commitment to improving labour standards. ✍️ @freylindsay.bsky.social
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryWith the Employment Rights Bill shortly pack in parliament the UK needs to make sure that restrictive work visas don't leave workers unable to access rights. All workers, including those on the UK's seasonal worker visa, need to be able to access rights in practice
- Migrant workers’ legal precarity reveals the incompatibility of Labour’s policies on worker’s rights and immigration. How seasonal workers continue to face exploitation as the visa scheme expands ✍️ @freylindsay.bsky.social ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Migrant workers’ legal precarity reveals the incompatibility of Labour’s policies on worker’s rights and immigration. How seasonal workers continue to face exploitation as the visa scheme expands ✍️ @freylindsay.bsky.social ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryWomen working on UK farms report sexual harassment and financial insecurity
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryGlobal leaders must finally stand up to Israel before it’s too late for Gaza
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryOutdated laws and benefit cuts: Why women can’t leave sex work
- Poverty and cautions trap women in sex work – good policies could resolve this. But politicians don't want to know. From Niki Adams at the English Collective of Prostitutes ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Laura Bates' book The New Age of Sexism takes a sobering look at how tech accelerates misogyny. But the book makes a pretty glaring failure, in that it overlooks the very real and harmful impact that AI has on sex workers. Which should be the real story.
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryForced to work on an overheated planet
- "They were being forced to pick when smoke and fire were everywhere" Workers on the front lines of climate change are treated as expendable. This is morally bankrupt and unsustainable 🌎⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryNo market for abuse: how import bans fight back against forced labour
- We recently published a piece arguing that the provenance of import bans should give the activists promoting them pause for thought. @htlegalcenter.bsky.social responds ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryDelivery riders caught between algorithms and immigration raids
- Between exploitative algorithms and Labour’s war on illegal work, migrant delivery riders are struggling to survive ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- The UK government’s failed rematching scheme shows that ministers fundamentally misunderstand the reality of care work ⤵️⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryVisa reform is the minimum owed to exploited care workers
- Asylum seekers would be better off if the UK's modern slavery identification system did not exist. Read the opinion ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryIdentifying ‘modern slavery’ can damage asylum claims
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryThis new article on @beyondslavery.bsky.social demonstrates how the UK National Referral Mechanism for victims of #humantrafficking does damage to their asylum claims. It's partly based on an excellent article we published in 2024 (this one antitraffickingreview.org/index.php/at...)
- What do borders teach us about ourselves? Hüseyin Ovayolu's moving photo essay spans 12 countries in an exploration of movement, exile, and the search for 'home'. www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- "The arrogance of political leaders who draw lines on a map leads to generational trauma, forced migration, and the breakdown of communities." Read the interview with Hüseyin ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Reposted by Beyond SlaverySuch a sharp and insightful piece on the politics of how victimhood is (mis)used in anti-trafficking. By @hannahjlewis.bsky.social for @beyondslavery.bsky.social
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryWhy has victimhood endured for so long in anti-trafficking despite it being understood as dehumanising and damaging? And where do we go from here? My blog for @beyondslavery.bsky.social Open Democracy blog 10th Anniversary is now out! An honour to be part of a set of important interventions.
- “Put a man on the front of our magazine and our donations will drop.” On who gets to be a victim, and why anti-trafficking orgs haven't yet abandoned rescue narratives ✍️ @hannahjlewis.bsky.social www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryInteresting article from my colleague @hannahjlewis.bsky.social on the politics of victimhood in modern slavery and trafficking
- “Put a man on the front of our magazine and our donations will drop.” On who gets to be a victim, and why anti-trafficking orgs haven't yet abandoned rescue narratives ✍️ @hannahjlewis.bsky.social www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- “Put a man on the front of our magazine and our donations will drop.” On who gets to be a victim, and why anti-trafficking orgs haven't yet abandoned rescue narratives ✍️ @hannahjlewis.bsky.social www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Reposted by Beyond Slavery"New deterrents” are not the solution. This new deal will cause considerable further harm, resulting in the forcible transfer of people back to France. Read @vickytaylor.bsky.social's new piece for @opendemocracy.net :
- Don’t be fooled by Labour’s show of providing safe migration routes. It’s justifying a cruel trade in people. ✍️ @vickytaylor.bsky.social www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryEU AI regulations position themselves as human-centred. But priorities shift when it comes to 'border security'. Read the new blog post by Stefka Schmid and Julia Mahlberg ⤵️ blogs.law.ox.ac.uk/border-crimi...
- Child sexual abuse is being weaponised by the far-right. The left needs to tackle the lies head on. Read the interview with author Louise Raw 👇 bit.ly/3GxC4SU
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryGlobal inequality is the World Bank’s elephant in the room
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryWe can't keep ignoring human trafficking in war
- "In the two decades since the ICC was established, the court has not once prosecuted someone for trafficking." We can't keep ignoring human trafficking in war. Read the piece by legal expert Julia Muraszkiewicz ⬇️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryAre grooming gangs the far right’s golden goose?
- Are grooming gangs the far right’s golden goose? Continuing our 10 year anniversary series – read the interview with Louise Raw ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Forced labour bans: protecting rights or markets? 🍅 Read the next piece in our 10 year anniversary series ⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryMe for Metro: The crucial point is deterrence & border violence has never & will never work We need safe routes & the right to work legally for asylum seekers - IT IS SCREAMINGLY OBVIOUS But pressure might be working, we must press harder than ever for a humane policy💪 metro.co.uk/2025/07/02/a...
- Reposted by Beyond Slavery[New blog 🖋️] Belgian's legal framework for migrant solidarity has long been viewed as more protective than elsewhere. But civil society are increasingly being criminalised there. blogs.law.ox.ac.uk/border-crimi...
- The World Bank says it can fight poverty through technical solutions. But poverty is inherently political ✍️ @alfnilsen.bsky.social Read the story 💰⤵️ www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
- Reposted by Beyond SlaveryThe pipeline from child trafficking to prison or death that SPACE describes is utterly chilling. Exploited children & young people deserve so much better. Thank you @countylinescce.bsky.social for speaking to us @beyondslavery.bsky.social
- Want to keep up to date with our work, plus find out about news, events and opportunities in the anti-trafficking community? Sign up to our monthly newsletter 🗞️➡️ bit.ly/subscribe-bts
- Children across the UK are used to sell drugs, and the state appears more interested in arresting them than helping them. Read the interview 👇 www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-tr...
