Welcome to the Freedom Fund’s monthly bulletin designed to bring you new and compelling research from the global anti-slavery movement.
Lived experience of child domestic workers in Myanmar
A study led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine examines lived experience of child domestic workers (CDWs) in Myanmar. Based on accounts of 32 former CDWs, the study identifies economic necessity as key drivers for children entering into domestic work, often facilitated through informal networks trusted by parents. The study finds that parents often accept advance payment of six months to one year of the child’s wages, leaving children with little ability to negotiate with their employers. CDWs often experience lack of rest days, physical abuse and humiliation, and are denied fair pay and family visits. Many remain silent due to a strong sense of duty to support their families, highlighting the importance of engaging parents in protecting CDWs.
Trafficking of children with disabilities to forced begging in Ethiopia
The Population Council, Ethiopian Lawyers with Disabilities, and the Ethiopian Centre for Disability and Development jointly report on the trafficking of children with disabilities for forced begging in Ethiopia. Through observations conducted in Addis Ababa, Mekelle and Dire Dawa, the study documented 943 persons with disabilities engaged in begging, 75% of whom were boys under the age of 18. Interviews with 31 survivors (22 males and 9 females) revealed that all of them had been trafficked into begging before the age of 20 and had spent three to five years in trafficking situations. Survivors came from families in rural areas, had experienced the death of one or both parents, and did not report their experiences to authorities from a fear of retaliation and abandonment.
Links between counterfeiting and labour exploitation
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office shed light on the links between the intensity of counterfeit trade with higher levels of labour exploitation. The study analyses the association of indicators of labour exploitation and weak governance with indicators of counterfeiting drawn from the OECD customs seizure dataset. Countries identified as a source of illicit trade were strongly linked to higher prevalence of labour exploitation, as well as lower trade union membership rate, indicating weakened bargaining power among workers and reduced protection against exploitation. The authors highlight the need for integrated responses that combine strengthened labour protections, enhanced trade-enforcement tools, improved data availability, and responsible business conduct.
Factors driving child marriage among boys
The University of Airlangga, Indonesia, leads the study of child marriage among boys. Through a review of articles published between 2019 and 2024, the study finds that early school dropout and engagement in paid work shape boys’ perceptions of early marriage. At the interpersonal level, boys’ marriages are strongly influenced by parents and other adult relatives, particularly when marriage is linked to strengthening kinship ties, managing debts or securing social support. Marriage among boys also emerges as a way to escape high-conflict home environments and family interference in their relationships. The study highlights that child marriage among boys receives limited recognition within legal, policy and programmatic frameworks, which in turn reduces the likelihood that at-risk boys are identified, protected or supported.
Global debate on child labour in Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining
The University of Bath, UK, reviews different perspectives on responding to child labour in Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM). Based on a comparison of the work of major child protection actors and a review of the academic literature review, the study discusses how real-world responses to children’s ASM labour focus on removing children from ASM work quickly, rather than focusing on the root causes. In contrast, the academic literature suggests that despite risks of harm, there may also be many benefits to children who work in ASM, and not all ASM contexts engage children in dangerous or inappropriate mining tasks. The study highlights different views on the response, including providing schooling for children, protecting child and adolescent workers through labour laws, and tackling poverty and strengthening social protection.
Read on
Free the Slaves launches the Dignified Futures Research Network to advance the understanding of human trafficking through community-based and community-oriented research. The recording of the on-line launch event is accessible here.
Unseen UK provides evidence on immigration policy enabling traffickers to perpetrate crimes and weakening modern slavery support systems in the United Kingdom.
Vietnam National University examines European Union regulatory strategy on the prevention of child labour in international trade and its applicability to the situation in Vietnam.
University of California Davis, USA, identifies both benefits and harms associated with survivor leaders’ involvement in anti-trafficking work.
Freedom Fund news
A new article by Havovi Wadia, the Freedom Fund’s Managing Director of Programs, reflects on one-time unrestricted grants awarded to Freedom Fund partners that have demonstrated impact and integrity over multiple years.
Visit our Newsroom for more updates.
Research library
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The Slavery Research Bulletin is produced monthly by the Freedom Fund, a global fund with the sole aim of helping end modern slavery.
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