We work with survivors and activists to build a world where human dignity is respected and exploitation is eradicated.
Forced labour, human trafficking and modern slavery are growing risks in the global economy and are driving forces behind the inequalities that cause wider human rights abuse. Equidem works with a network of talented worker and survivor activists to build societies and an economy where everyone can work and live with dignity free of exploitation and abuse.
Forced labour, human trafficking and modern slavery are driven by multi-faced systems centered around a lack of opportunity. Ordinary people find themselves in difficult situations in countries around the world where people face poverty and a lack of opportunity, which leads them to seek work either in a different region of their country or overseas. This creates an inherent vulnerability to being exploited. As workers travel to destination countries, like in the Gulf, from origin countries like in South Asia, that sets the stage for human trafficking and forced labour.
FORCED LABOUR
Forced labor involves situations where workers are coerced into working through the use of threats, violence, or deception, often with little or no pay. Workers in sectors such as construction, agriculture, domestic work, and manufacturing are frequently subjected to these abuses.
We investigate and expose forced labor practices across industries, particularly those that rely heavily on low-wage workers, migrants, and temporary laborers. These investigations involve gathering firsthand testimonies from workers who have been trapped in exploitative labor conditions. Our investigators reveal the mechanisms behind how perpetrators control workers, including through the confiscation of passports, withholding of wages, and threats of deportation.
Through our key pillar work strengthening international systems, we advocate for laws that better protect workers from forced labor and ensure that employers are held accountable for engaging in exploitative practices. This includes pushing for more robust government enforcement mechanisms, as the laws that may exist are poorly implemented. We also recognizing the role that multinational corporations play in perpetuating forced labor through their supply chains and push for greater corporate transparency and responsibility, including robust prevention methods.
HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Trafficked people find themselves working in conditions where they are controlled by traffickers or employers through violence, threats, and severe restrictions on their freedom, often lured in through false promises of legitimate employment, only to find themselves trapped. Our survivor investigators speak to victims of trafficking to help them escape situations of abuse and expose people and systems that allow systems of abuse.
MODERN SLAVERY
Our work highlights the pervasive nature of modern slavery, particularly in industries with complex supply chains and minimal regulation, where exploitation can occur unnoticed. Our investigations have uncovered how modern slavery persists in industries like construction, hospitality, and agriculture, particularly in destination countries. We have documented how workers are trapped in cycles of debt and exploitation, unable to leave due to threats, lack of legal protections, and fear of deportation to origin countries. We hold corporations accountable for the role they may play in enabling modern slavery and push for greater transparency and responsibility in business practices.
We advocate for the ratification and enforcement of international agreements, such as the International Labour Organization Forced Labour Protocol, which seeks to address the root causes of modern slavery. Our advocacy efforts also focus on creating protective frameworks for workers.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We campaign for stronger enforcement of existing labor laws and the creation of independent monitoring systems for workers. We advocate for independent migrant rights centres and information and awareness campaigns for people to learn about their rights and workers can support one another without fear.
We believe that together, we can end forced labor, human trafficking, and modern slavery. That’s why we partner with human rights organizations, governments, and international bodies to bring about systemic change. Together, we expose the exploitation of workers, advocate for systemic changes, and hold governments and corporations accountable for human rights abuses.