London – The Freedom Fund welcomes the announcement by the UK Government of its commitment of £20 million ($27 million) to the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery, for transformational programs around the world to reduce the prevalence of human trafficking, child labour and other forms of modern slavery.

“This is a very welcome development and we thank UK Prime Minister Theresa May for her powerful leadership in the global fight against modern slavery,” said Nick Grono, CEO of the Freedom Fund.

The Global Fund to End Modern Slavery will make significant new funding available for international programs to combat all forms of modern slavery. Last week, the U.S. Government announced its own $25 million award to the Global Fund as part of an initiative to leverage commitments of $1.5 billion in support from other donors.

The Freedom Fund also welcomed the new Global Estimates of Modern Slavery released jointly by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Walk Free Foundation (WFF). The research finds that on any given day in 2016, 40.3 million people were trapped in conditions of modern slavery around the world.

“We commend the ILO and WFF on their willingness to work together on this global estimate,” said Grono. “This new data will be crucial for measuring progress on eradicating modern slavery.”

For further details, contact:

Christopher Zoia
Communications Manager
The Freedom Fund
[email protected]
+1 (929) 244-9722

About the Freedom Fund:
The Freedom Fund is a leader in the global movement to end modern slavery. We identify and invest in the most effective frontline efforts to eradicate modern slavery in the countries and sectors where it is most prevalent. Partnering with visionary investors, governments, anti-slavery organisations and those at risk of exploitation, we tackle the systems that allow slavery to persist and thrive. Working together, we protect vulnerable populations, liberate and reintegrate those enslaved and prosecute those responsible.
http://www.freedomfund.org