Around the world, many minorities are disadvantaged under the laws of their countries purely because of their religion or ethnicity.
This puts them at greater risk of human trafficking.
For example, last year Arise helped to expose the phenomenon of faith-targeted human trafficking, where Christian girls from Pakistan were being sold as brides, trafficked and forced to marry men thousands of miles away. We also worked with Yazidi victims of Daesh who suffered unspeakably. Both these groups were at risk because of their faith.
In recent months, credible accusations of forced labour have surfaced regarding Turkic Muslims and other ethno-religious minorities in Western China affecting many of the brands we consume daily. Many of those suffering at the frontline cannot raise their voices for fear of reprisals, and so Arise is working to amplify the voices of these people.
Through our trustee parliamentarians we have been pushing for a human rights threshold to apply to businesses to ensure that those companies connected to suspected slavery in the Uyghur region of China are held to account.
But we need to go much further. This isn’t just a question for governments. Consumers are the “sleeping giant” against human trafficking and modern slavery. Only by building this movement and voting with our feet will we succeed in bringing exploitation to an end.
Thank you for standing with us.
To support Arise’s work against slavery in the Uyghur Region and beyond, donate here