The A21 Campaign (commonly referred to as "A21") is a global 501(c)(3) non-profit,

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

that works to fight

human trafficking Human trafficking is the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. This exploitation may include forced labor, sexual slavery, or oth ...

, including

sexual exploitation Sexual slavery and sexual exploitation is an attachment of any ownership rights, right over one or more people with the intent of Coercion, coercing or otherwise forcing them to engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activities. This includ ...

and trafficking, forced

slave Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

labor, bonded labor, involuntary domestic servitude, and child soldiery. The organization was founded by Christine Caine, an international motivational speaker, in 2008. One aim of A21's Campaign says, "We exist to abolish slavery everywhere. And with your help, we will." their focuses are on combatting

slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

around the world through educational awareness and prevention, the protection of survivors, the prosecution of traffickers, and various partnerships. The A21 Campaign has branches in the Australia, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Denmark, Greece, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States and more.

History

Christine Caine, a leader from

Hillsong Church Hillsong Church, commonly known as Hillsong, is a charismatic Christian megachurch and a Christian association of churches based in Australia. The original church was established in Baulkham Hills, New South Wales, as Hills Christian Life Centr ...

, founded The A21 Campaign organization in 2008 after she discovered what she believes to be insufficient action taken against human trafficking. Her husband, Nick Caine, is the organization's director.

Work

The A21 Campaign develops global programs and initiatives to inform the general public about human trafficking, as well as encouraging the public to fight against trafficking in their own way. The A21 Campaign is one of few international organizations addressing the human trafficking problem in Europe. Recent UN findings show that the former

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, as well as other countries in Central and Eastern Europe, have replaced Asia as the main source of women trafficked to Western Europe. In addition, Western Europe contains many of the highest-ranking destination countries in the Human Trafficking Citation Index. According to their mission statement, The A21 Campaign works towards: * Prevention, through awareness and education. They have created student programs and curriculum resources for schools, orphanages, and universities to educate potential victims and the general public about trafficking. The Campaign has released their US certified high school program called "Bodies are Not Commodities", which seeks to raise awareness about human trafficking amongst ninth and tenth graders. The goal is to teach students to help prevent human trafficking before it begins, making use of all forms of communication, from their abolitionist A-teams raising awareness to global mass media. * Protection, by providing care through their shelters and transition homes across Europe. These shelters and transition homes are safe places for victims. The A21 Campaign works to move trafficking survivors past crisis to stabilization, equip them with skills they can use in the future, and assist them with making the next step after they leave the homes. * Prosecution of traffickers and the strengthening the legal response to human trafficking. The A21 Campaign offers legal counsel to every victim in their care, and represents them in criminal proceedings. * Partnering with local law enforcement, service providers, and community members to meet a comprehensive set of needs for those rescued from bondage. Their efforts are focused in and supported by teams in Greece, Ukraine, Australia, US, Bulgaria, United Kingdom, Norway, South Africa, Thailand, and Spain, where trafficking is most active. Greece, a destination country for human trafficking, and other Eastern European countries, including Ukraine and Bulgaria, are countries of origin, and increasingly countries of destination, for victims of trafficking. The United States, Great Britain, and Australia are destination countries for trafficking victims, while South Africa and Thailand are both sources and destinations for trafficking victims.

Funding

The A21 Campaign is a non-profit, non-governmental organization. The organization is funded through donations from individuals, faith-based organizations, businesses and other partnerships. One partner of The A21 Campaign is the Row for Freedom team. This all-female UK team rowed across the Atlantic Ocean, following an old slave trade route from the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

to Barbados, and crossed over 2,600 miles in a record-setting 45 days to raise awareness and funding for The A21 Campaign.

Recognition

The A21 Campaign was referenced in both the 2011 and the 2012 publications of the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...

publication of the

Trafficking in Persons Report The Trafficking in Persons Report, or the TIP Report, is an annual report issued since 2001 by the U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. It ranks governments based on their perceived efforts to acknowledge a ...

. The A21 Campaign partnered with recording artist

Matt Redman Matthew James Redman (born 14 February 1974) is an English Christian worship leader, singer-songwriter and author. Redman has released 16 albums, written 8 books, and helped start three church-plants. He is best known for his two-time Grammy A ...

and LZ7 to release a single titled '' Twenty Seven Million''. The song was inspired by The A21 Campaign and was aimed at raising global awareness and was released on February 27 of 2012, in recognition of the estimated 27 million slaves throughout the world today. The A21 Campaign was also featured on the Global Freedom Report to raise awareness of human trafficking, while A21 representative Phil Hyldgaard was named a 2012 TIP Report Hero by the U.S. Department of State.

References

External links