Freedom in Disasters is a for-purpose, not-for-profit organisation that works across the globe to prevent disaster victims from becoming human trafficking victims.

Human trafficking is the process of trapping people through the use of violence, deception or coercion and exploiting them for financial or personal gain. It is a form of modern slavery.

In the immediate aftermath of a disaster, displacement is likely to occur, giving space for traffickers to operate and exploit affected people and their desire for safety. Men, women and children are being exploited when they are most vulnerable – which is the horrific reality for millions of disaster survivors.

Human Trafficking can take many forms during a disaster, most commonly:

  • Forced labor
  • Domestic servitude
  • Sexual exploitation (and abuse)
  • Recruitment for combat or gangs (more common in crisis situations)
  • (And more recently) organ trafficking
Earthquake Woman

Freedom in Disasters was founded to combat these forms of exploitations during and after disasters. 

Sex Trafficking Image
Women Forced Labour Image

We work with a variety of partners in different parts of this world to combat exploitation in disasters. With the help of likeminded organisations, we are able to run projects and programs that address human trafficking at many levels, recognising the complexity of this twenty first century problem. Our initiatives and impact framework detail how we approach this illicit trade and how we work with others to put a stop to it.

Our vision is a world where disasters are not used to exploit vulnerable men, women and children but are the catalyst to end modern slavery. 

We envisage a world where the disaster relief, the development, and law enforcement sectors combine forces and capitalise on the ‘opportunity’ that disasters provide to end human trafficking in all forms.

FiD, also known as the International Institute for Counter Trafficking in Disasters, provides a platform to share international best-practice approaches, brings stakeholders together, and enables localised approaches to make an impact.

Impact Framework Overview

We collaborate with academic organisations, corporations, and other social enterprises to make a difference at local level, while simultaneously advancing the scientific knowledgebase of counter human trafficking in disasters.

We predominantly rely on donations, government funding, and self-generated income to provide our services to the international community.

If you can, help us to make a difference and donate to support one or more of our initiatives around the globe.

We would also like to hear from you if you are interested to collaborate with us.

Latest News

Turning point for FiD – Insights from our Formative NGO Development Phase

‘If you do not change direction, you might end up where you are heading’. This quote, contributed to Lao Tzu, highlights the basic requirement to adjust from time to time in order to grow. Freedom in Disaster in its formative development stage, and as such we are...

News About Our Timor Leste Trip

The trip to Timor-Leste was indeed a productive and insightful one for Freedom in Disasters. I’d first like to express gratitude for how warm and welcoming everyone was and how generous they were in giving their time and sharing their knowledge. I received such a...

Scoping Counter Trafficking Program Opportunities in Timor Leste 

This week, our Director of International Programs Jean Stewart commenced on a three weeks’ counter trafficking program scoping trip in Timor-Leste. Jean has been extremely passionate about improving the human trafficking situation in Timor-Leste and embarked on a...

Evaluation of disaster relief efforts to prevent human trafficking in Vietnam

In 2021, Freedom in Disasters (FiD) partnered with the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation to conduct an evaluation of the effectiveness of its disaster relief program following the 2020 storm and floods in the Tha Thien-Hue province in Vietnam, focusing on human...

Freedom in Disasters joins the Legal Empowerment Network

We are proud to join the Legal Empowerment Network, a community of justice-seeking organizations knowing, using and shaping the law to make this world better. As we all know, human trafficking in disasters is a horrific reality for people who are already experiencing...

Freedom in Disaster launches first-of-its-kind Resource Hub containing UN-related resources

Our Resource Hub is drawing Counter Human Trafficking in Disasters information from a custom-built repository which was designed to facilitate knowledge exchange to support vulnerable children, woman, and men in times of need.   After identifying and collating key...

Freedom in Disasters joins the Worldwide Directory of Modern Slavery Organisations

The Worldwide Directory of Modern Slavery Organisation launched earlier this month with Freedom in Disasters being one of 770 verified organisations. We are proud to be part of this publicly searchable database specialsed on human trafficking and forced labor.  By...

New cooperation with the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation

We are excited to announce that we started to partner with the Blue Dragon Children's Foundation in Vietnam to prevent  human trafficking (by reducing child migration) after the 2020 cyclones and floods. The Thua Thien-Hue province in Vietnam has in the past been a...

Disaster & Emergency Management Conference

This week Freedom in Disasters will present on the Nexus of Disaster Management and Human Trafficking and it's implications in the Australian context. It is time to explore this largely unaddressed area and equip emergency services with the right tools to combat...

New Funding Opportunities

In recognition of this years #worlddayagainsttraffickinginpersons, Freedom in Disasters announces new funding opportunities for projects which further our understanding of #disasters and #humantrafficking.Over the coming weeks we will be reaching out to likeminded...

Join our Newsletter to get the latest news from the fight against human trafficking

Want to stay in touch and get regular updates about our fight against human trafficking in disasters? All you have to do is to enter your details below.

Our Partners & Affiliations

Namati Logo Image
blue dragon Children's Foundation logo
global modern slavery directory logo
Freedom Collaborative Logo