OHCHR | Feature stories

Feature stories

Fight against slavery must continue despite pandemic
The fight against all forms of slavery has turned more difficult under the pandemic, but anti-slavery activist Brahim Ramadhane won’t stop fighting. “I do this because I belong to this community of ex-slaves and I will give up my life, all of my life, for this fight.”
2 December 2020

Enslavement: a ‘shocking indictment’ on our societies
2 December marks the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. Around the world, more than 40 million men, women and children are enslaved. One of the Sustainable Development Goals aims to eradicate slavery in all its forms by 2030. The UN Slavery Fund has being channelling support to slavery survivors since 1991.
2 December 2019

Fight slavery with truth
Leonardo Sakamoto is a Brazilian journalist and member of the Board of Trustees for the UN Voluntary Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, who has spent the last 20 years fighting slavery and labour exploitation. He says it was his journalism that led him to become a human rights anti-slavery activist.
30 November 2018

Escaping the bonds of human trafficking: Pamela’s Story
The trafficking of human beings is one of the world’s most lucrative businesses, generating billions of dollars while destroying millions of lives. OHCHR’s UN Fund for Contemporary Forms of Slavery provides legal, social and psychological assistance to thousands of people subjected to human trafficking for forced labour and sexual exploitation.
28 July 2017

Traditional slavery: Said and Yarg’s story
Brothers Said and Yarg both inherited the status of ‘slave’. They had no choice but to obey their master’s orders and were not allowed to go to school. They were also frequently subject to beatings. They were eventually able to escape and with the assistance of two anti-slavery organisations, they have been able to pursue legal action against their former master and begin their schooling.
16 January 2015

Domestic servitude: Jonalyn’s story
The UN Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery supports organisations that seek out and assist people in domestic servitude including medical care, basic needs assistance, trauma counselling and legal aid to rebuild their lives.
30 December 2014

Child domestic servitude: This is Johanne’s story
When she was nine years old Johanne became a child domestic slave. Forbidden to go to school, instead she was abused and spent her days cooking, cleaning and carrying water in 20 litre buckets, from the communal well, up the hill to her house.
26 December 2014

Caste-based slavery: Rekha’s story
After 18 years of carrying human waste on her head in wicker baskets to a dumpsite outside her village—a practice known as “manual scavenging”, Rekha Bai was able to find an alternative livelihood with the support of an NGO awarded by the UN Slavery Fund.
19 December 2014

Forced and early marriage: the story of Maysoun, a child bride
Maysoun was forced to marry at the age of 15. She was exploited, abused and when she fell ill, her husband left her. Although deeply traumatized by her experiences, Maysoun eventually recovered with the specialized assistance provided by a local non-governmental organization financially supported by the UN Slavery Fund and was able to restart her life.
24 November 2014

Trafficking for forced labour: Diane’s story
“I worked 19 hours, every day of the week, for a monthly salary of 45 euros.” Diane was trafficked from her home country and then forced to work as a domestic slave. She eventually managed to rebuild her life with the help of an NGO supported by the UN Slavery Fund.
17 November 2014

Sex trafficking: Maria’s story
The UN Slavery Fund supports a number of NGOs, which rescue and assist victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation and offer specialized support in the reconstruction of their lives.
10 November 2014

Worst forms of child labour: Ebo’s story
The UN Slavery Fund financially supports NGOs, which seek out and rescue children like Ebo and provide specialized assistance for their rehabilitation.
3 November 2014

The slaves of today: UN action to provide redress and rehabilitation
The UN Slavery Fund providing direct assistance to victims of contemporary forms of slavery appeals for additional donations to undertake its work.
30 October 2014

UN Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery

Overview

Mandate

About the Fund’s assistance for victims

Board of Trustees

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How to contribute

Others involved

Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery

Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children

Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons

Contact information

United Nations Voluntary Fund on Contemporary forms of Slavery,
OHCHR-UNOG, 8-14 Avenue de la Paix
1211 Geneve 10,
Switzerland
Email: slaveryfund@ohchr.org
Tel: (41) 22 917 9376
Fax: (41) 22 917 9017