Climate change is often framed as an environmental or economic crisis. But there is a dimension that rarely makes it into the conversation: how environmental disruption can push people into situations of trafficking, forced labor, and exploitation.In the latest episode of Conversations on Modern Slavery, our team explores that connection through the lens of Antigua and Barbuda, a small island developing state that sits on the front lines of climate change and its consequences.We are joined by Marver Woodley, Senior Operations and Policy Manager in Antigua and Barbuda's Department of Blue Economy, bringing local knowledge and lived reality to a global conversation, Dr. Bethany Jackson (University of Nottingham), whose research maps climate hazards to exploitation risk across regions, and Dr. Marta Furlan, Senior Program Manager for Research at Free the Slaves who conducted the research. Our research identified six interconnected pathways through which climate change deepens vulnerability: loss of livelihood, health impacts, housing insecurity, forced mobility, disrupted education, and food and water insecurity. These do not operate in isolation. They create a cycle of vulnerability, and that cycle demands a people-centered response.Read the research here: https://freetheslaves.net/climate-change-and-human-exploitation-in-antigua-and-barbuda/

In this powerful episode of our Conversations on Modern Slavery podcast, we sit down with Ghanaian advocate, storyteller, and survivor leader SherryNorth, also known as Missy Resilience.Sherrynorth shares her journey with honesty and courage—from being deceived by false promises of overseas opportunity, to confronting exploitation the moment she landed, to reclaiming her voice through music, advocacy, and global activism.Her story is not only about surviving trafficking—it’s about transforming trauma into leadership. She speaks candidly about:• How recruitment systems failed her long before she left Ghana• The fear and abuse she faced while working abroad• The role of community, dignity, and safe spaces in healing• What governments must change to protect migrant workers• Her message for young women considering similar migration pathways• The songs she wrote to tell her story when words felt too heavySherri’s voice is a reminder that survivors are not just witnesses to injustice—they are leaders redefining how the world responds to trafficking.

In this episode of Conversations on Modern Slavery, host Bryon Lippincott speaks with Dr. Marta Furlan (Senior Program Manager for Research, Free the Slaves) and researcher Ranjana Sharma about the results on child domestic workers in Kathmandu, Nepal. Drawing on a participatory study by Free the Slaves and CWISH Nepal, they unpack how very young children are recruited from rural communities, why families and intermediaries facilitate the move to cities, and what daily life looks like once children arrive.You’ll hear about:• Push–pull factors shaping recruitment and rural-to-urban movement• Gaps between the promise of schooling and the reality of long workdays• Isolation from family and peers, and why teachers often don’t see what’s happening• How employers understand their role, and where their narratives diverge from children’s• Concrete recommendations for government, employers, teachers, and child-rights groupsContent note: This episode discusses child labor, domestic work, and violence.Resources:• Full research report• Executive summary• Child-friendly version of the reportFor background on the study’s methodology, listen to Episode 15. Subscribe for future conversations with researchers, survivor leaders, frontline advocates, and policy experts.

Conversations on Modern Slavery sits down with Jeff Ochieng, a Kenyan photojournalist and writer with 10+ years in mainstream and independent media. Jeff began in Mathare as a teenager, screening award-winning early films and building a journalism portfolio. A survivor of human trafficking in the Middle East, he now reports on migrant exploitation and the kafala system, with work featured on Migrant-Rights.com and MigrantNarrativesAfrica.com. Based in Mombasa with his wife and two children, Jeff traces a journey that started with a promised job in Qatar that didn’t exist, moving on to Bahrain where he experienced confiscated phones and was forced to sign unread contracts. His experience culminated in  17 hour workdays, including transit. He shares the advice he gives would-be migrants, and the lever he argues changes lives: empathy in practice, backed by standards that actually bite. If you work in migration, labor rights, research, or policy, this episode connects the system to the day a worker actually lives.

Scam compounds across Southeast Asia are rapidly emerging as one of the most alarming forms of modern slavery—where victims are trafficked, held under constant surveillance, and forced to carry out cybercrime schemes. In this episode of Conversations on Modern Slavery, Bryon Lippincott (Head of Communications at Free the Slaves) and Kuldeep Singh Chauhan (Asia Regional Director) are joined by scholar, researcher, and advocate Ling Li to unpack the hidden world behind these walls.Together, they trace the evolution of cyber-scam operations from early phone fraud to today's militarized compounds run by transnational criminal networks. Ling shares insights from her upcoming book SCAM, revealing how technology, crypto, and the legal grey zones of regional governance fuel this exploitative system. This conversation brings urgency and nuance to an underreported crisis—and centers the need for survivor-led, systemic solutions.Connect with Ling Li on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ling-li-459637155/Check out her upcoming book Scam: Inside Southeast Asia's Cybercrime Compounds through the links below:Verso Bookshttps://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/3234-scamAmazonhttps://a.co/d/h7vHUi8

In this special guest-hosted episode, Kuldeep Singh Chauhan (Regional Director for Asia, Free the Slaves) sits down with Jacob Sims—Visiting Fellow at Harvard’s Asia Center and Regional Advisor at Humanity Research Consultancy to expose one of the fastest-growing forms of modern slavery: cyber scam centers.Together, they explore how trafficking victims are lured into guarded compounds across Southeast Asia and coerced into committing online fraud. Jacob shares survivor stories, insights from groundbreaking research, and the urgent need for survivor-led approaches, cross-sector collaboration, and accountability.🔍 Topics include:How scam centers operate as a form of cyber slaveryWhy educated, tech-savvy youth are being traffickedThe role of state corruption and criminal networksWhat governments, tech platforms, and NGOs must doHow survivors are shaping solutions on the frontlines

Season 3 of Conversations on Modern Slavery is here! Join our host Bryon Lippincott as he explores the groundbreaking Ethical Anti-Trafficking Practices Guide for Faith-Based Organizations.In Episode 16, you’ll hear powerful insights from Angela Pontororing (Salvation Army Indonesia), Dalaina May (Dark Bali Indonesia), Andrea Baker (Project SUMA, Bolivia), and Dr. Marta Furlan (Free the Slaves), who share their experiences developing this essential guide.Tune in now and discover how a diverse group of experts came together to create practical, ethical guidelines that protect survivors and respect faith traditions.You can download the guide at on the Global Learning Community's website. https://www.globallearning.community/resource-hub

Conversations on Modern Slavery | Episode 15 Researching Child Domestic Work in Nepal: Insights from the Field Join host Bryon Lippincott as he sits down with Ranjana Sharma from CWISH Nepal and Dr. Marta Furlan from Free the Slaves to discuss their groundbreaking research on child domestic workers in Nepal. Ranjana Sharma is a the lead researcher with Children and Women in Social Service and Human Rights (CWISH) Nepal. She has more than 10 years of experience in participatory action research. 🔍 What to Expect in this Episode: • An overview of this qualitative research project focused on Kathmandu’s child domestic workers, uncovering their journeys, challenges, and living conditions. • Insights into ethical research methods and safeguarding protocols when working with children, including interviews and participatory workshops. This episode offers a rare glimpse into the research process and the immense effort involved in uncovering these often-hidden stories. 🎧 Don’t miss this compelling conversation and the remarkable efforts of Ranjana and Marta to amplify the voices of child domestic workers. Stay tuned for next year’s follow-up episode, where the research findings will be discussed!

In this episode of Conversations on Modern Slavery, Adrian Alexander, Advocacy and Movement Building Country Manager for Free the Slaves, hosts Diahann Gordon Harrison from Jamaica and Cherise Francis from Barbados. Together, they discuss the challenges and opportunities of anti-trafficking efforts in the Caribbean. Highlights include the creation of the Caribbean Coalition Against Trafficking in Persons, the importance of breaking silos in regional collaboration, and innovative projects such as the Regional Prevention Action Plan and the Resource Hub. Tune in to hear personal stories, actionable insights, and how this coalition is bringing hope and unity to the fight against modern slavery.

Episode 13 Features a keynote speech from the 2024 North America Regional Freedom from Slavery Forum titled Moving Freedom Forward: Challenges and Opportunities in the Global Movement to Abolish Slavery. In this keynote from the North American Freedom From Slavery Forum, historian and abolitionist Dr. Timothy Patrick McCarthy explores the power of grassroots movements in the fight against slavery. He emphasizes how technology has long played a crucial role in amplifying these efforts but reminds us that technology should be seen as a tool—not the solution. At the heart of every movement are people, and Dr. McCarthy highlights the importance of keeping human dignity and inclusion at the forefront as we harness digital tools to drive real change.