Campaigning success

Anti-Slavery International's campaigning work has produced real change. Here are just some of our successes:

• In June 2011, the Home Alone: End Domestic Slavery achieved success by securing a new International Labour Organization Convention on domestic work. Anti-Slavery campaigners around the world supported calls by domestic workers everywhere for a new international framework to protect them from slavery and exploitation by writing to their governments asking them to vote in favour of the Convention at the 2011 International Labour Conference. In the end 83% of the votes from global governments, employers and workers representatives were in favour of adopting ILO Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers. During the International Labour Conferences of 2010 and 2011, Anti-Slavery International brought young domestic workers to the conference to lobby for specific provisions within the Convention to protect child domestic workers. Read more about the campaign victory here.
• In March 2011, after months of campaigning, the UK Government finally agreed to opt into the EU Human Trafficking Directive. Over 47,000 people signed our joint petition with 38 Degrees, ECPAT UK and the Independent on Sunday which was delivered to No.10 Downing Street. The Government did not opt into the Directive during its development when it previously had the opportunity to do so.
• In 2009 we launched a campaign with Liberty for the UK to criminalise forced labour and servitude having recognised a gap in current legislation which limited slavery convictions to human trafficking legislation. Thousands of supporters wrote to the Justice Secretary calling for a change to the law. Ministers conceded that existing legislation fails to protect people from modern day slavery and agreed to criminalise forced labour and servitude. The new offences came into force in 2009.
• Our Cotton Crimes campaign to end child slavery in Uzbekistan's cotton industry has so far focused on ensuring retailers avoid the use of Uzbek cotton. Anti-Slavery campaigners have written to a number of retailers to voice their concerns and many have taken action to ban the use of Uzbek cotton in their products. The Cotton Crimes campaign is now focusing on securing action from the EU to address child slavery in the sector.
• After years of campaigning for the UK Government to adopt the Council of Europe Convention on against trafficking (which is the first international standard to guarantee trafficked people minimum standards of protection and support), the UK ratified it in 2008, and it came into force in 2009.
• In 2008 we supported the Coalition of Immokalee Workers' Campaign for Fair Food which achieved a major victory after fast-food giant Burger King agreed to work with them to improve the wages and working conditions of those who pick its tomatoes.
• In 2008 the UK proposed a change to the Migrant Domestic Worker visa which would not have allowed domestic workers to change employers, making them more vulnerable to forced labour and abuse. After our campaign with Kalayaan the Government agreed to retain current measures for a temporary period. The visa is currently under review again.
• The Fight for Freedom 1807-2007 campaign mobilised over 50,000 people to ensure the Transatlantic Slave Trade was remembered, its legacies were addressed and the continuation of slavery today was recognised. The UK created a national slavery memorial day (from 23 August 2008); made it obligatory to teach the Transatlantic Slave Trade in the UK National Curriculum (from September 2008); and issued a statement of regret acknowledging its role in the slave trade and the need to ensure that the legacies of the slave trade were addressed. The Mayor of London apologised for London's role in the slave trade, as did the Church of England for its role.
  
  

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