September 22, 2012 is the 150th Anniversary of the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation through which President Lincoln announced his intention to abolish slavery in the United States.

The Freedom Network is marking this anniversary in two ways: first, we continue to press Congress to pass the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (S. 1301). This is the first time in the history of the legislation that it has not been reauthorized with unanimous consent, and we are urging the Senate to take action. Second, we are releasing a new set of factsheets that pertain to issues of modern-day slavery. While the Emancipation Proclamation was intended to end slavery 150 years ago, today thousands of people are trafficked into agriculture, domestic work, construction, retail work, and commercial sex, and live in conditions of modern-day slavery. The Freedom Network member organizations, who provide social and legal services to survivors across the country, have come together to author these factsheets, with the hope that this practice-based knowledge will help shed light on commonly underrepresented or misunderstood human trafficking-related topics.

We will be releasing a new factsheet each day, starting with today’s topic: Sexual Assault. 

Read the Human Trafficking and Sexual Assault Paper Here

this historic anniversary by releasing a new set of factsheets pertaining to issues of modern-day slavery.