Tens of thousands of people filled the streets of major European cities and other parts of the world, joining the international event Walk for Freedom, to draw attention to the problem of human trafficking and modern slavery.

The Christian abolitionist association A21 was the organiser of the event, which aims “to spread a message of freedom the world cannot ignore, raising awareness for human trafficking & reduce vulnerability within our communities across the globe”.

The walks consisted of a long line of people dressed in black marching in complete silence with signs that read “there are millions enslaved right now”, “slavery still exits”, or “abolish slavery everywhere, forever”, among others.

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During the marches, thousands of information leaflets were handed out to passers-by, containing facts about human trafficking, as well as tools for reporting cases of trafficking.

People stand holding signsDemonstrators in Denmark. (A21)

Over 40.3 million people trafficked

According to the International Labour Organisation, there are over 40.3 million people caught in trafficking right now. That’s nearly one out of every two hundred. Right now, men, women, and children are being abused and sold for their bodies and labour.

“Every step, every flyer, every conversation, every phone call, every social media post brings awareness to your city, reducing vulnerability among your community and empowering your neighbors, friends, and local leaders to identify and report trafficking”, pointed out Philip Hyldgaard, Chief Operations Officer at A21 Global.

Organisers explained in social media that they “walk for... a child who was sold into sex slavery in Thailand. A man trapped in forced labour in the fields of Ukraine. A woman being sexually exploited in Bulgaria. A young girl was deceived & trafficked by a man in the U.S. Millions more who are still enslaved worldwide”.

hundreds of people lined on the street marchingTens of thousands of people filled the streets of major European cities and other parts of the world. (A21)

“COVID-19 has led traffickers to recruit and exploit through new methods”

Loida Muñoz, National Director of A21 Spain, stressed that “today we are facing a global scourge that affects all countries in the world. Human trafficking is modern slavery. Today, men, women, girls and boys are bought and sold in order to exploit them”.

“COVID-19 has led traffickers to recruit and exploit their victims through new methods. Therefore, the need for prevention and awareness-raising is even greater. That is why Walking for Freedom is more important than ever, because it shows unity under an injustice that often goes unnoticed”, added Muñoz.

Reach, rescue, restore

A21 is a global Christian NGO with 19 offices in 14 countries, that has been fighting for more than thirteen years to end slavery in all its forms. It does so through a multi-dimensional operational strategy, focused on three key points:

Reach through prevention and education programmes, Rescue victims, through collaboration with police forces, entities and governments, as well as operating National Hotlines for reporting and victim assistance and providing training for professionals and Restore, accompanying victims of trafficking in their individual process of restoration.

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This story originally appeared at Evangelical Focus and is republished here with persmission.