Always on
This project successfully funded on 29th June 2020, you can still support them with a donation.
Help CHRI fight modern slavery during COVID-19
London, England, United Kingdom
Aim: COVID-19 hasn't stopped the inhumane business of modern slavery. We need your help now to support those who support the most vulnerable.
CHRI is seeking funds to support our Commonwealth 8.7 Network during COVID-19
COVID-19 is affecting the most vulnerable the hardest. Victims of contemporary forms of slavery continue to face exploitation, abuse and hardship:
- They’re forced to work in poor, even harmful conditions, without protective measures, putting them at risk of infection
- Lockdowns mean both victims and survivors are cut off from healthcare and essential services
- Physical distancing measures have pushed sexual exploitation and trafficking of women and children underground
- Community groups and services that previously identified and rescued victims are unable to do so, leaving victims trapped
Not going to work doesn't just mean working from home - for many who are living in poverty and on a daily wage, not working means risking starvation. Physical distancing is not manageable in overcrowded detention centres and slums. Lockdowns mean not having access to essential services and support. People need access to water if they are to wash their hands regularly, not just soap.
In these challenging times, the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative UK needs your help.
Grassroots members of our international Commonwealth 8.7 Network, as well as the individuals and communities they support, are feeling the impact of both COVID-19 and emergency measures imposed by governments to halt it.
CHRI is committed to supporting this network of small, yet crucial organisations across the Commonwealth.
To continue to do this, we urgently seek funds to support this international network of grassroots leaders who provide essential services to those most in need. We don't want to let them down now when their need is greatest.
"The Commonwealth 8.7 Network has helped me get connected to many other anti-human trafficking organisations working to combat this human wrong. Being a part of this initiative, I see our work gaining ground in our country and the world at large."
- Awah Francisca Mbuli, Survivors' Network (Cameroon)
Join us by pledging your support to end contemporary forms of slavery and human trafficking. Your donation will help us to provide capacity-strengthening to network members working on human slavery, ensuring that they are able to survive and even thrive in these challenging times.
About us
The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) is an independent non-profit organisation working for the practical realisation for human rights. CHRI’s London office is a registered UK charity.
The Commonwealth 8.7 Network, founded by CHRI, is a group of 60+ local civil society organisations across the globe who share a common vision to eradicate contemporary forms of slavery and human trafficking.
The 8.7 Network works collaboratively to raise awareness, strengthen skills, share good practice, provide support to survivors, and advocate for change to laws and policies. In 2019, the 8.7 Network was awarded the Commonwealth Secretary-General’s Innovation for Sustainable Development Award.
The Commonwealth 8.7 Network is named after the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 8.7 which seeks to end modern slavery, including forced labour, human trafficking, and child labour, by 2030.
Photo credit to Unsplash/Hannah Busing, Unsplash/Safal Kalki and UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré.