Walk Free

Walk Free is an international human rights group based in Perth, Western Australia. Its goal is to end modern slavery around the world.

The group was started by Grace Forrest in 2011. Walk Free is best known for publishing the Global Slavery Index, which came out for the fifth time in 2023. This report helps people understand how many individuals are still affected by modern slavery in different countries.

In 2013, Walk Free joined with others to create the Freedom Fund, an organization that works to stop modern slavery in places where it is most common. This teamwork helps support efforts to protect people and give them freedom.

Background

The United Nations created a plan in 2015 called Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8.7. This plan asks the world to work together to stop modern slavery. Walk Free works to help meet this goal. They collect information to guide actions and support changes in laws. They work with many groups, like faith leaders, businesses, schools, charities, and governments. By working together and involving local communities, Walk Free hopes to end modern slavery.

Global estimates of modern slavery

In 2017, the International Labour Organization, Walk Free, and the International Organization for Migration worked together to create the first Global Estimates of Modern Slavery. They used information from surveys done in 48 countries through the Gallup World Poll and data from the Global Slavery Index Vulnerability Model.

They improved their methods to better understand problems from earlier reports. They used three main sources of information: expanded surveys covering 48 countries with over 71,000 people interviewed, data from the International Organization for Migration about people helped after being trafficked, and information from international groups that watch over laws about forced work.

Global Slavery Index

Main article: Global Slavery Index

The Global Slavery Index shows how many people in different countries might be affected by unfair treatment and forced work. It looks at 160 countries and shares what is known about these issues.

Walk Free first shared this index in 2013, and it has been updated several times since then. The index checks three main things: how many people are affected, how well governments are working to stop these problems, and what makes some places more likely to have these issues.