Each week the Freedom Fund compiles the most insightful and timely news stories about modern slavery. Check out what we’re reading among this week’s top slavery articles.

New York ends child marriage, raising age of consent from 14 to 18
CBS News, 21 June 2017
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation this week putting an end to child marriage. The legislation raises the age of consent from 14 to 18, and amends the process to require parental and judicial consent for marriage involving 18-year-olds.

Meet the abolitionist fighting to free Mauritania’s slaves
CNN Freedom Project, 21 June 2017
Biram Dah Abeid is the grandson of a slave and he has founded a mass anti-slavery movement, been jailed three times, and run for president of his home nation, Mauritania. He has been internationally feted for his work as an abolitionist, and he plans to run for the presidency again in 2019.

Starbucks set to hire 2,500 refugees in Europe
Thomson Reuters Foundation, 20 June 2017
U.S. coffee chain Starbucks announced it will hire 2,500 refugees in Europe as part of a wider worldwide hiring plan, months after the policy prompted a backlash from some customers. The move is part of the company’s plan to add 10,000 refugees in 75 countries to its workforce.

How human traffickers trap women into domestic servitude
PBS NewsHour, 19 June 2017
More than three million women are forced into servitude as domestic workers every year, often lured to other countries in the Persian Gulf or Middle East under false pretences. PBS NewsHour reports on ways some advocates are working to protect workers who may be vulnerable to traffickers.

This company built AI to detect modern slavery
Motherboard, 19 June 2017
Can machine learning stop forced labour? SAP Ariba, a for-profit software and IT company based in California, developed an artificial intelligence program that will sift through data and locate forced labour risks in supply chains.

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Photo credit: Jessica Lea / DFID