The Freedom Story

June 16th, 2022 - When anti-trafficking organizations first started thinking about what prevention might look like, the biggest component was awareness-raising. The idea was to reach as many people as possible and warn them about trafficking by telling them what it is, how it can happen, and how to report it. It's essential. But time and experience have shown that it isn’t enough. Listen to learn more.

Welcome to The Freedom Story podcast where we bring you our weekly updates, in audio version. For more information, please visit www.thefreedomstory.org.

June 9th, 2022 - People from across the anti-trafficking field are finding multitudinous ways to study trafficking. While we still might not have a lot of very precise data, we are coming at the data problem from a variety of angles–and that might end up giving us a fuller understanding of the picture than we would if we rested on one or two more precise measures alone. Listen to learn more.

Welcome to The Freedom Story podcast where we bring you our weekly updates, in audio version. For more information, please visit www.thefreedomstory.org. 

June 2nd, 2022 - For the most part, laws against trafficking, labor abuses, and child sexual exploitation exist. While it’s true that some legal frameworks could be strengthened, a large part of the problem has less to do with the existence or lack of laws and more to do with a breakdown in implementing them. Listen to learn more.

Welcome to The Freedom Story podcast where we bring you our weekly updates, in audio version. For more information, please visit www.thefreedomstory.org.

May 26th, 2022 - The instability in the lives of migrant workers could put them at a greater risk of exploitation and trafficking. Partnerships with organizations like JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) help us provide more stability for them. Listen to learn more.

Welcome to The Freedom Story podcast where we bring you our weekly updates, in audio version. For more information, please visit www.thefreedomstory.org. And become a Freedom Chapter Member at: https://thefreedomstory.org/join/

May 19th, 2022 - We’ve talked about how COVID increases the risk of trafficking. We have also talked about the rise of online sexual exploitation. In the last six months or so, these two challenges coalesced into a new form of trafficking and exploitation. A growing number of Thai nationals are being trafficked to neighboring countries and forced to perform labor for places like call centers and illegal online gambling sites. Listen to learn more.

Welcome to The Freedom Story podcast where we bring you our weekly updates, in audio version. For more information, please visit www.thefreedomstory.org. And become a Freedom Chapter Member at: https://thefreedomstory.org/join/

May 12th, 2022 - When we think of child trafficking, we generally assume the trafficker is an older adult who preys on minors. That has typically been the case, with ages primarily ranging from traffickers in their 20s to in their 60s. However, our peers in the anti-trafficking field in South East Asia have reported that they are seeing an emerging trend of younger people becoming involved – as perpetrators. Listen to learn more.

Welcome to The Freedom Story podcast where we bring you our weekly updates, in audio version. For more information, please visit www.thefreedomstory.org. And become a Freedom Chapter Member at: https://thefreedomstory.org/join/ 

May 3rd, 2022 - Trafficking is already a horrific, damaging, and traumatizing experience. Unfortunately, there are dynamics in play now that are making it worse – not just in the sense that the amount of trafficking is increasing, but that new challenges contribute to the damage trafficking can cause. In the past two years, COVID measures like lockdowns, quarantines, and travel restrictions did not reduce the incidence of trafficking. Listen to learn more.

Welcome to The Freedom Story podcast where we bring you our weekly updates, in audio version. For more information, please visit www.thefreedomstory.org.

April 21st, 2022 - We're welcoming a new cohort and have created a composition story for you to listen to! Listen to learn more.

Welcome to The Freedom Story podcast where we bring you our weekly updates, in audio version. For more information, please visit www.thefreedomstory.org.

April 12th, 2022 - Friends, we’ve got some exciting things to share with you this month! Between April 18th-29th, we’ll be releasing a new video and more student stories – but expect them to be a little different from what we’ve shared in the past. We hope what we share here will really show you the impact you’re making as part of our community committed to preventing child trafficking! Listen to learn more.

Welcome to The Freedom Story podcast where we bring you our weekly updates, in audio version. For more information, please visit www.thefreedomstory.org.

April 7th, 2022 - For the sake of ease, discussion about trafficking tends to revolve around categories: labor trafficking, child trafficking, sex trafficking, etc. Another way to think of trafficking is as part of a spectrum of abuse and exploitation (concept courtesy of a legal training hosted by The Remedy Project, USAID Asia CTIP, and USAID Thailand CTIP). On one end, there is decent work that follows international and national laws and is undertaken with free, willing, and informed consent. On the other end is slavery. In the middle, there could be work that is harsh but does not violate regulations. Listen to learn more.

Welcome to The Freedom Story podcast where we bring you our weekly updates, in audio version. For more information, please visit www.thefreedomstory.org.