La Strada International was proud to co-organise this year’s Regional Freedom from Slavery Forum, held in Brussels from 5–7 May, alongside Anti-Slavery International, ASTRA, and Free the Slaves, with the support of the governments of the United Kingdom, Belgium, and France.
The Forum focused on key issues including human trafficking, forced labour, and child labour. Over three days, participants engaged in panel discussions and workshops, exploring root causes, developments, and solutions to combat these practices.
Day One
The Forum opened with a panel discussing the current landscape, legal frameworks and practices addressing forced and child labour in Europe. This was followed by a session on survivor engagement in anti-trafficking efforts, and a third panel focused on the EU Forced Labour Ban Regulation, sharing insights on the EU’s implementation efforts as well as on the legislation process. Two workshops were also held:
- Cross-national synergies on import bans and enforcement of forced labour laws
- Best practices in research on modern slavery and human trafficking
Day Two
The second day began with a keynote address on the promise of SDG 2030, followed by three panel discussions. Suzanne Hoff, International Coordinator of LSI, moderated a panel on strategies to sustain funding for efforts tackling forced labour, child labour, and trafficking in persons. The first panel addressed the challenges of child labour in textile supply chains, and the final panel tackled common myths around mandatory human rights due diligence by companies. Workshops included:
- Best practices in community grievance mechanisms and remediation
- Survivor engagement in the development of policy frameworks
Day Three
The final day opened with a keynote address titled Reframing Modern Slavery in Europe, delivered by Tomoya Obokata (UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery), who emphasized that the fight against slavery must involve civil society organizations, businesses, and frontline service providers as the perspective of the victims, and Prof. Tim McCarthy (Board Chair of Free the Slaves / Harvard University).
This was followed by a panel on forced labour and child labour in agricultural supply chains, highlighting core challenges and regulatory developments. The final panel explored multi-stakeholder coordination in global supply chains, focusing on collaborative strategies and shared responsibility in eliminating exploitation.
The Global Funding Crisis in Anti-Trafficking Work
La Strada International, in coordination with its members, has been working actively to address the severe funding cuts impacting anti-trafficking and forced labour initiatives—particularly due to decisions made by the U.S. government.
Under the current administration, the United States has terminated 69 international programmes addressing child labour, forced labour, and human trafficking across more than 40 countries. In addition to previous freezes and stop-work orders on foreign aid, this move threatens to undermine decades of global progress in protecting vulnerable workers. These abrupt cuts have already affected more than a dozen projects involving eight LSI members, with real consequences for frontline support, prevention, and advocacy.
During the Forum, panelists discussing child labour stressed the role of poverty, lack of access to education, and weak regulation, particularly in the fashion industry, as root causes. Concrete recommendations included returning children to school and ensuring a fairer distribution of profits to provide decent wages for adult workers, reducing reliance on child labour.
The Forum concluded that joint efforts, systemic solutions, and sustainable financing are essential for effectively addressing all forms of exploitation.