Smoke, fire, and exploitation
By Ellie Finkelstein, Freedom United
August 24th, 2025
News Digest
OUR CAMPAIGN ISSUES IN THE NEWS
| Forced labor Smoke, fire, and exploitation: how climate change fuels modern slavery As climate chaos intensifies, workers are forced into ever more dangerous conditions—picking crops through wildfire smoke, wading floodwaters, and laboring without protection. Show more… |
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| Law & policy No rescue, no rights: the human cost of the EU-Libya pact In 2024 alone, 3,812 people died or went missing at sea trying to reach Europe. Humanitarian groups warn EU policies blocking rescues and outsourcing to Libya fuel trafficking risks, deliberately pushing migrants into forced labor and severe abuse. Show more… |
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| Debt bondage It’s about “basic fairness”: employment agency backs California Bill Migrant workers recruited to the US are trapped in debt before they even leave home—charged illegal fees, silenced by threats, and pushed toward exploitation. Without urgent reforms like the proposed California bill, unethical recruiters will keep profiting while workers pay the price. Show more… |
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 | Ellie Finkelstein Freedom United |
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