Annual Review: 2017-2018
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Annual Review 2017-18 Annual Review 2017-18 Annual Review 2017-18 2 2017-18 3 Fighting for freedom Throughout 2017/18 we faced significant challenges in every region of the world, from the horror of Grenfell and the callous treatment of those seeking asylum in Europe, to a rise in populism that threatens the core values of human rights. Jasmine O’Connor OBE But in the midst of these challenges there has been an Chief Executive enormous fight back and added urgency from across the global human rights movement. While it is easy to feel disheartened or angry when turning on the news, more and more people are channelling their energy into activism. As slavery issues continue to hit the headlines, new organisations and individuals are responding to the “While the challenge of eradicating modern slavery. This growing challenges that movement is having an impact, in this last year alone face human our members, supporters and donors have helped rights show strengthen over 17 anti-slavery movements across little sign of 19 projects in 14 countries. Girl attending Anti-Slavery’s schools for children of slave abating, neither And these courageous frontline human rights defenders descent in Niger. do our partners, have directly empowered 77,388 people to understand, members and assert and claim their rights. But more than that, together we have changed laws and policies to stop Cover photo: Catherine experienced Our vision is a world free from slavery supporters.” slavery while working in a private slavery in its tracks. home as a child. Anti-Slavery International works to eliminate While the challenges that face human rights show little Image by Anti-Slavery International all forms of slavery and slavery-like practices sign of abating, neither do our partners, members and throughout the world, including forced labour, debt supporters. I hope you enjoy reading this review and Anti-Slavery International bondage, human trafficking, descent-based slavery, Thomas Clarkson House celebrating the many successes there have been The Stableyard the worst forms of child labour and forced marriage. Broomgrove Road over the last year. And I hope you will continue to London SW9 9TL We work with local organisations to secure the be a part of this movement, fighting today for United Kingdom freedom of those in slavery or vulnerable to it, tomorrow’s freedom. tel: +44 (0)20 7501 8920 fax: +44 (0)20 7738 4110 campaign for changes in attitudes towards slavery email: [email protected] website: www.antislavery.org and press for more effective implementation of national and international laws and policies to protect people. UK Registered Charity 1049160 Company limited by guarantee 3079904 Registered in England and Wales Anti-Slavery International is the world’s oldest We worked to strengthen abolition movement, founded in 1839 by British 77,388 people were empowered by overseas anti-slavery partners across abolitionists such as Thomas Clarkson and Anti-Slavery International and its partners to 17 Joseph Sturge. understand, assert and claim their rights. 19 projects in 14 countries. Annual Review 2017-18 Annual Review 2017-18 4 Tanzania 5 with their families or else finding north of Tanzania. Protection from abuses alternative arrangements that are in Anti-Slavery International works the best interests of the child. closely with employers to help them Support has included provision of a understand their obligations and of domestic work safe space for child workers to learn highlight the benefits to them of about their rights and understand treating child workers fairly and An estimated one million children to protect children in domestic the legal protections they are entitled with respect. work in formal or informal domestic work, improve oversight from local to. Education outreach extends to work in Tanzania. While some children authorities of these practices and As a result of these initiatives, local authorities, with over 400 police Anti-Slavery International and its receive shelter, food, education, advance local legislation in Tanzania. officers, administrative staff and and protection from early marriage, We engage with local communities to partners have helped child workers employers enrolling for training to build confidence and organise many are exploited. Due to a lack of develop an effective framework for learn about their role in protection for committees to protect their rights and oversight and the hidden nature of intervention and work to empower working children. recognise what is a fair employment the work, children are very vulnerable local officials to represent the Where teenagers have chosen to contract and salary. This has led to to maltreatment and slavery. interests of exploited children. continue working, Anti-Slavery over 300 contracts signed to protect Anti-Slavery International is working Grassroots initiatives are an essential International is able to ensure that the rights of working children. closely with a local partner from the part of this campaign; identifying they do so in safe conditions and with Tanzania Domestic Workers Coalition, working children and providing access to healthcare and education. 2,471 children were registered with a coalition of local grassroots support for victims of violence and Nearly 2,500 child domestic workers the local authorities as working in private organisations, some of which were other abuse. Where possible this has have been identified and registered households so that they are known and can founded by former child workers, involved reuniting younger children so far in the Mwanza region in the be protected. Grace My family was so poor it was sometimes a struggle to get food or buy clothes. I became a domestic worker when I was fifteen. The treatment I got was not good for sure. My employer frequently shouted at me and sometimes beat me when I did something wrong. Thanks to the project I know my rights, such as to be able to express my feelings, to be protected from abuse and exploitation, and a right to salary. I am young, but it should be noted that I am an employee who should be treated fairly at my work. The activities brought me an idea to start my Anti-Slavery International’s project ensures young small company when I am older and leave people in domestic work can access education. my job as domestic worker. Annual Review 2017-18 Annual Review 2017-18 6 Senegal 7 project two years ago. This has This initiative is complemented Freeing children from led 54 Quaranic schools to end by community level advocacy and the practice of begging. As a result awareness-raising efforts to challenge of this, the vulnerability of 3,052 parental preconceptions about forced begging children has been substantially residential Quaranic education and the reduced and their living conditions practice of begging; and to form local Forced begging continues to affect in local cultures, however, the extent improved. We continue to work with committees protecting and promoting tens of thousands of children living in of the maltreatment of children is not the communities to stop begging children’s rights and welfare. Quaranic schools across Senegal. fully known. completely. At the national level, Anti-Slavery Up to 100,000 children are forced Anti-Slavery International, together One very successful initiative has been also continues to lobby for change, to beg for several hours every day with local partners Tostan to connect boys with local ‘sponsor’ working closely with partner and many face violence and abuse International and La Rencontre families, leading to nearly 2,000 organisations to advocate for the if they fail to meet begging ‘quotas’ Africaine pour la défense des Droits children benefiting from essential introduction of a state curriculum and assigned by their masters. Far from de l’Homme (RADDHO), works with donations such as daily meals, soap, stricter regulation for schools and to their families and often living in local communities, Quaranic teachers sleeping mats and mosquito nets. criminalise begging. squalid conditions, the students can and the government to effectively be vulnerable to malnutrition and reform the Quaranic school system to neglect, and face further dangers on eliminate begging. 54 Quaranic schools stopped the practice 300 Quaranic teachers have worked of begging. with our project across Senegal. the streets. We have worked with more than This system, which pays for children’s 300 Quaranic teachers across the religious education, is widely accepted country since the beginning of the Eradicating forced begging across West Africa The practice of children being sent out to the streets to beg by their schoolmasters in residential Quaranic schools is widespread across the whole region of West Africa. Building on almost a decade of experience working in Senegal, Anti-Slavery started a new project in January 2018, partnering with organisations RADDHO in Senegal, ENDA in Mali and ANTD in Niger, to fully assess the situation and support a regional effort on forced-begging. The project aims to establish organisations led by children and young adults with experiences of begging in Niger, Mali and Senegal and train them in advocacy and communication techniques so that they can shape the national debates around forced child begging and end it for good across the region. We are working to engage former Quaranic students to share their experiences and identify strategies to address not only forced begging, but also the root causes, such as poverty and lack of access to state education, contributing to the prevalence of this practice. Anti-Slavery is working to ensure children Anti-Slavery and its partners lobby governments and regional international attending Quaranic schools in West Africa receive bodies to put this issue high on their agendas and draw concrete plans to good education and are no longer forced to beg. eradicate forced child begging from West Africa.