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A Slavery-Free Holiday Season

How can you ensure that your Black Friday and Holiday shopping is free of slave labor? Is there really any way to make sure every single thing you buy wasn’t made with slave labor? The unfortunate answer is no. In fact many companies don’t even know

Today We Face a Different Battle

Luke Blocher Remarks at Ohio Human Trafficking Awareness Day January 9th, 2014 in Columbus, OH at the Ohio Statehouse The Freedom Center is a museum on the banks of the Ohio River in Cincinnati. We are located there, on the border between slave and

On Happy Endings

This is the story of Annam, born in a village outside Dhaka, Bangladesh. Forced into a child marriage at age 12. Trafficked to a Mumbai brothel at age 17. Rescued at age 22. Repatriated to Bangladesh at age 25. This story has a happy ending, but it i

Islam and the Fight Against Human Trafficking

If you are reading this in the United States, you are probably wary, if not critical, of the religion of Islam. Since 2001, the media has paraded horrific images of Isis fighters, Al-qaeda tapes, or Hezbollah revolutionaries across our TV screens. Bu

Slavery Still Exists

Recently, Jon Stewart from The Daily Show challenged Bill O'Reilly to acknowledge white privilege, and the legacy of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. It was a challenging clip to watch, and informative about the state of affairs in our society. I agre

Understanding Brazil’s Present Day Quilombos: A Small Term for a Big Reality

During a conference in March 2012 on race and racism in Brazil, a Brazilian sociologist—and expert on affirmative action—posed a significant question about black rural communities in Brazil: “Those communities, do they actually descend from runaway s

11 Facts About Modern Day Slavery

  It’s not just sex Forced Labor is much more rampant than sex trafficking. In fact, 65% of the world’s slaves are in a forced labor situation. [1] Watch what you eat 90% of companies shipping shrimp to the U.S. use some type of bonded or forced lab

Why I Became Involved in the Human Trafficking Fight: The Business Role in Human Trafficking

When I first reached the decision to support the creation of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center almost 20 years ago, I believed that the story of the Underground Railroad and the abolition of slavery needed to be recalled in their own r

“It was always in my heart.” Kailash Satyarthi, Nobel Peace Prize Winner, and His Fight Against Child Slavery

On Friday, Kailash Satyarthi became a Nobel Peace Prize winner, alongside Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai.[1] The world has spoken. Children’s rights, and women’s rights, are important. Mr. Satyarthi has over thirty years of human rights experien

Fair Trade in One Local Community

As the owner of a growing Fair Trade shop in Northern Kentucky, I have plenty of opportunities to talk with people about what Fair Trade is, as well as what it isn't. While I definitely find that the general public's awareness of sweatshops, unfair w