An estimated 40.3 million people are currently living as slaves -more than at any other time in history.
Through our six compelling and informative documentaries, alongside 10 short films, WHY SLAVERY? uncovers the stories of men, women and children trapped into modern slavery across all corners of the world. Whether it is the deeply flawed Kafala System, which binds migrant workers to their employers in the Middle East, or the prolific number of children being bought and sold in India, WHY SLAVERY? sheds a light on the stories of people living in the shadows of enslavement.
The aim of the WHY SLAVERY? campaign can be succinctly captured by the words of 18th Century Slave Abolitionist William Wilberforce:
“You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.”
WHY SLAVERY? ensures that everywhere, modern slavery is not only known of, but is brought to the fore of global political conversation.
An estimated 40.3 million people are currently living as slaves -more than at any other time in history.
Through our six compelling and informative documentaries, alongside 10 short films, WHY SLAVERY? uncovers the stories of men, women and children trapped into modern slavery across all corners of the world. Whether it is the deeply flawed Kafala System, which binds migrant workers to their employers in the Middle East, or the prolific number of children being bought and sold in India, WHY SLAVERY? sheds a light on the stories of people living in the shadows of enslavement.
The aim of the WHY SLAVERY? campaign can be succinctly captured by the words of 18th Century Slave Abolitionist William Wilberforce:
“You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.”
WHY SLAVERY? ensures that everywhere, modern slavery is not only known of, but is brought to the fore of global political conversation.
COMING SOON
Can Freedom ever be more frightening than enslavement? A Woman Captured is a raw and intimate portrayal of the psychology behind enslavement. Award-winning Director Bernadett Tuza-Ritter offers an evocative study of a woman so debased and disregarded that even she has lost sight of her own life. As a close friendship develops between the captured woman (Marish) and the filmmaker, Marish’s confidence is slowly restored as she begins to imagine a different life for herself. With this new found sense of confidence, will A Woman Captured ever be able to escape the unbearable oppression to become a free woman?
COMING SOON
Can there be justice after genocide, sexual violence and slavery? In August 2014, an Islamic State massacre of unimaginable proportions took place during the rapid invasion of the Yazidi people in Sinjar, northern Iraq. Young Yazidi women were separated from the old and taken to the Galaxy Cinema in Mosul. There they were paraded, selected, enslaved, tortured and systematically raped. Some were only 11 years old. I was a Yazidi slave follows the Yazidi women’s journey to recovery and ask how a survivor of unthinkable sexual violence can find justice and a path to rehabilitation.
COMING SOON
How do prisons make a profit from crime? In the last 30 years, America’s prison population has surged from 330,000 to 2.3 million inmates. In this deeply personal and provocative film, Academy Award-winning director Roger Ross Williams sets out on a mission to investigate the prison system that has helped drive this explosive web of political, social, and economic forces that have consumed so many of Roger’s friends and family.
COMING SOON
Can an employment system hide a reality of torture and humiliation? Maid in Hell offers a glimpse into the commonplace reality of harassment, abuse, rape and 18-hour work days which migrant domestic workers across the Middle East face. Trapped by the Kafala system, their passports are confiscated and they are bound to their employer. Unable to flee, they risk harsh punishments or imprisonments if they try. “Maid in Hell” gives unprecedented access to this frightening and brutal form of modern slavery. Following employment agents who vividly describe the trade, as well as maids who struggle to find a way home after harrowing, and sometimes, deadly experiences, we come to understand the grotesque reality faced by thousands of women each day.
COMING SOON
How does North Korea sell their own people to fund its dangerous regime? Shrouded in secrecy and notoriously cash-strapped the North Korean regime has resorted to running one of the world’s largest slaving operations - exploiting the profits to fulfill their own agenda. These bonded labourers can be found in Russia, China and dozens of other countries around the world - including EU member states. Featuring undercover footage and powerful testimonials, North Korea’s Secret Slaves: Dollar Heroes reveals the scale and brutality of the operation.
COMING SOON
Is poverty raising a generation of children for sale in India? In the world’s largest democracy, India, millions of vulnerable children are bought and sold, given only what they need to survive another day. Throughout Indian society the mechanisms of bonded slave labor are insidious, powerful and nearly impossible to escape for children who have become trapped in a system driven by profits. Indian director, Pankaj Johar, looks behind the overwhelming statistics - revealing how a lack of education and persistent poverty provides a breeding ground for modern slavery.
How does North Korea sell their own people to fund its dangerous regime?
Shrouded in secrecy and notoriously cash-strapped the North Korean regime has resorted to running one of the world’s largest slaving operations - exploiting the profits to fulfill their own agenda. These bonded labourers can be found in Russia, China and dozens of other countries around the world - including EU member states. Featuring undercover footage and powerful testimonials, North Korea’s Secret Slaves: Dollar Heroes short film gives an overview of the scale and brutality of the operation.
Can freedom ever be more frightening than enslavement?
Can freedom ever be more frightening than enslavement?
Can there be justice after genocide, sexual violence and slavery?
In August 2014, an Islamic State massacre of unimaginable proportions took place during the rapid invasion of the Yazidi people in Sinjar, northern Iraq. Young Yazidi women were separated from the old and taken to the Galaxy Cinema in Mosul. There they were paraded, selected, enslaved, tortured and systematically raped. Some were only 11 years old. I was a Yazidi slave follows the Yazidi women’s journey to recovery and ask how a survivor of unthinkable sexual violence can find justice and a path to rehabilitation.
How do prisons make a profit from crime?
Can an employment system hide a reality of torture and humiliation?
Maid in Hell introduces us to 35 year old Mary Kibwana, who is just one of the thousands of migrant women working as a domestic helper in Jordan. Following an incident at her employer’s residence, Mary is flown back to her home in Kenya - where she arrives wheelchair-bound, with burns covering 70 percent of her body. Two months later, Mary dies as a result of her injuries. This story offers a glimpse into the commonplace reality of harassment, abuse, rape and 18-hour work days which migrant domestic workers across the Middle East face. Trapped by the Kafala system, their passports are confiscated and they are bound to their employer. Unable to flee, they risk harsh punishments or imprisonments if they try. “Maid in Hell” gives unprecedented access to this frightening and brutal form of modern slavery. Following employment agents who vividly describe the trade, as well as maids who struggle to find a way home after harrowing, and sometimes, deadly experiences, we come to understand the grotesque reality faced by thousands of women each day.
Is poverty raising a generation of children for sale in India?
In the world’s largest democracy, India, millions of vulnerable children are bought and sold, given only what they need to survive another day. Throughout Indian society, the mechanisms of bonded slave labor are insidious, powerful and nearly impossible to escape for children who have become trapped in a system driven by profits. Indian director, Pankaj Johar, looks behind the overwhelming statistics - revealing how a lack of education and persistent poverty provides a breeding ground for modern slavery.
CEO Mette Hoffmann Meyer talks about the WHY SLAVERY? campaign on BBC World News.
BBC World News is one of THE WHY Foundation's most important partners. Via their extensive broadcasting network, reaching more than 200 countries and territories, the WHY SLAVERY? films can be seen by people all over the world. CEO Mette Hoffmann Meyer was invited to "Impact" to talk about the campaign with Philippa Thomas.
Our preeminent documentary strand is curated annually and distributed through BBC World News and to over 70 local broadcast partners. These films are not available to watch online, but you can read more about each of the films in our series here:
Using the power of strong storytelling as the foundation of the campaign, six compelling and informative documentary films will uncover the lives of men, women and children living as slaves in all corners of the world. Whether it is the deeply flawed Kafala System in the Middle East or the prolific number of children bought and sold in India, the WHY SLAVERY? series will shine a light on the millions of lives lived in the shadow of enslavement.Following the unprecedented success of Why Democracy? and Why Poverty? THE WHY is creating a ground-breaking new cross-media project that asks why slavery remains so endemic in the 21st Century.We aim to create the largest ever public media campaign about modern slavery reaching an unprecedented number of people through broadcast partners, online engagement, and in public spaces like schools, libraries, museums factories, and even football stadiums.
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