The Freedom Story

Oct. 27th, 2023 - When one of our founders, Rachel Sparks, first met a young girl at risk named Cat and felt compelled to offer a scholarship to help keep her in school, it was hardly imaginable that her heartfelt impulse would ignite something as large as The Freedom Story has become. Looking back over the past 15 years, we have grown tremendously and are proud to say that the seeds planted so ma...

Oct. 16th, 2023 - When Somying’s father was incarcerated for a drug-related crime, the duty to help her family manage daily life fell upon Somying. Her mother suffered from a heart condition, which meant that, from the age of 5 or 6, Somying helped her mother cook, take care of the home, and watch after her wayward younger sister. You'll get a chance to meet Somying at our 15th Anniversary cel...

Sept. 28th, 2023 - It is essential to strengthen communities so that the environment around children does not allow for opportunities for their exploitation. One way we’re doing this is through village health care volunteers. Listen to learn more. Welcome to The Freedom Story podcast where we bring you updates, in audio version. For more information, please visit www.thefreedomstory.org.

Sept. 14th, 2023 - You might think of statelessness as only happening to refugees or people who are politically exiled from their home country. But there are other ways it can happen, too. Here's how it happened in the communities where we work – and what we're doing about it. Listen to learn more. Welcome to The Freedom Story podcast where we bring you our weekly updates, in audio version...

August 31st, 2023 - Are you a parent of pre-teens or teens? Do you track their social media use or talk to them about safety online? It's an overwhelming task -- even more so if you're a non-native speaker who never learned to read or write. Here's how we're helping parents who face that scenario, so that all children are better protected from online predators. Listen to learn more...

August 17th, 2023 - Given the resurgence of interest in and newcomers to the movement to end child trafficking, a refresher on the victim-centered approach is apropos – it provides a guideline for engaging in rescue and intervention safely and ethically, to prevent further harm or trauma. Listen to learn more. Welcome to The Freedom Story podcast where we bring you our weekly updates, in audio ver...

August 3rd, 2023 - The following is a joint statement from anti-trafficking organizations in response to the film, “Sound of Freedom.” The conversation was originally hosted by  Freedom Business Alliance , and the joint statement was  first published by Lauren Pinkston on Medium . Listen to learn more. Welcome to The Freedom Story podcast where we bring you our weekly updates, in audio version. Fo...

July 24th, 2023 - The Freedom Story had the pleasure of co-hosting the  Asia Region Anti-Trafficking Conference  in Bali, Indonesia, pulling together professionals from across Asia to discuss the latest developments in the fight to combat human trafficking and other forms of similar exploitation, from forced labor to child online sexual exploitation. One takeaway stood out in several panel discuss...

July 6th, 2023 - In the last podcast episode, we shared about the  US State Department’s latest Trafficking in Persons Report . If you missed it, be sure to check it out to get the key takeaways from the report in general. Today, we’re going to take a closer look at the key takeaways from the  TIP Report’s Thailand profile . Listen to learn more. Welcome to The Freedom Story podcast where we bring...

June 23rd, 2023 - The U.S. State Department has recently released its  ⁠annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report⁠  – a key instrument used globally to assess the state of anti-trafficking responses.  This year's TIP Report highlights the rise of trafficking to online scam centers as an emerging threat. As Ambassador-at-Large Cindy Dyer, wrote, “Cyber scams —from fake dating profiles to illeg...

June 9th, 2023 - Great news, friends! We’ve recently released our  Impact Report  showing our results for 2022. Listen to learn more. Welcome to The Freedom Story podcast where we bring you our weekly updates, in audio version. For more information, please visit www.thefreedomstory.org.

May 25th, 2023 - Traffickers are savvy. They evolve with changes in technology and the opportunities that brings them. Increasingly, we’re witnessing a new threat: trafficking to online scam centers.  Listen to learn more. Welcome to The Freedom Story podcast where we bring you our weekly updates, in audio version. For more information, please visit www.thefreedomstory.org.

May 11th, 2023 - Thirty-seven of our students have graduated from their current course of study! They've completed another level of education, safe from harm, adding yet another layer of protection from exploitation. This is what success in child trafficking prevention looks like. Listen to learn more. Welcome to The Freedom Story podcast where we bring you our weekly updates, in audio version...

April 27th, 2023 - When you support prevention work with The Freedom Story, you're supporting initiatives and programs that work both deeply with at-risk individuals and broadly across communities to spread the power of prevention. We want to give you an idea of what exactly your dollars go toward. Listen to learn more. Welcome to The Freedom Story podcast where we bring you our weekly updates...

April 17th, 2023 - Yindee is from an area where drug and alcohol addictions are common. She has so much potential, but she knows that there’s nothing for her here, only risk. She has a plan to get out. Listen to learn more. Help us raise $10,000 by April 25th to support another 120 at-risk children! Every dollar toward our goal will be matched for DOUBLE the impact. Click  ⁠here to give⁠ . Welcome...

April 10th, 2023 - Mayuree just wanted to study and spend time with her friends, but as the second oldest child in a family of six, she was responsible for a lot of household duties, in a culture that doesn't value girls' education, and in an abusive environment - all of which also put her at risk of trafficking. This is the story of her escape. Listen to learn more. Help us raise $10,000...

April 4th, 2023 - In 2020, we shared with you a story about a  young woman named Mai . At that time she was a youth at risk. Today, we’re sharing something really special: a look at where she is now, three years after graduating from our child sex trafficking prevention programs. Listen to learn more. Help us raise $10,000 by April 25th to support another 120 at-risk children! Every dollar toward...

March 30th, 2023 - This April, we are thrilled to share three new stories with you – stories about transformation, where generous donor support enabled a child or young person at risk of being trafficked into the sex trade to turn their life around. We hope these stories will show how pivotal generous donor support is to changing lives. Listen to learn more. Help us raise $10,000 by April 25th to...

March 16th, 2023 - Have you ever considered hosting an awareness raising party to tell people about child trafficking? It’s a great way to connect with your friends and tell them about a cause you’re passionate about! It might be daunting to think about, but with a little planning, it can be a lot of fun and super rewarding. Listen to learn more. Here are the helpful links mentioned in the show: F...

February 23rd, 2023 - Despite growing awareness that abusers tend to be people the child knows, there is still an assumption that online predators must be strangers. However, there is growing evidence that the perpetrators of online violence against children are not strangers either. Listen to learn more. Welcome to The Freedom Story podcast where we bring you our weekly updates, in audio version....

February 16th, 2023 - It looks like several Western governments are strengthening efforts to tackle forced labor in supply chains - but we're going to need widespread cultural norms to support this as well. Listen to learn more. Welcome to The Freedom Story podcast where we bring you our weekly updates, in audio version. For more information, please visit www.thefreedomstory.org.

February 9, 2023 - It’s not just having work that matters. Quality of work matters too. If the jobs available aren’t good enough , it creates incentives to turn to other sources of income to make ends meet – including the sex trade. Listen to learn more. Welcome to The Freedom Story podcast where we bring you our weekly updates, in audio version. For more information, please visit www.thefreedomst...

February 2, 2023 - Rising costs of living, 26 Rohingyas rescued, Hmong women spreading awareness on TikTok, and other headlines that you might find interesting. Listen to learn more. Welcome to The Freedom Story podcast where we bring you our weekly updates, in audio version. For more information, please visit www.thefreedomstory.org.

January 26th, 2023 - It's the start of 2023 - a great time to reflect on where we are and where we're headed. Our CEO, Lucy McCray, shares her thoughts and goals. Listen to learn more. Welcome to The Freedom Story podcast where we bring you our weekly updates, in audio version. For more information, please visit www.thefreedomstory.org.

January 19th, 2023 - Last spring, we introduced you to a young student, Manee* , who, even at the tender age of 11, was already under a lot of pressure to support her family. We have an update on what has happened to her and her family since. Listen to learn more. Welcome to The Freedom Story podcast where we bring you our weekly updates, in audio version. For more information, please visit www.th...