To be the generation that ends slavery forever, we work in partnership with organisations around the world, harnessing our shared knowledge and expertise to challenge the systems that perpetuate modern slavery.
Why do we work in partnership?
Our work is developed and delivered in partnership with local/national and international organisations that share our values and vision. Our work focuses on achieving the systemic change needed to end slavery. By working in this way, we can share expertise and increase impact, strengthen the global anti-slavery movement, and make sure our work is based on the lived experience of those vulnerable to and affected by slavery.
“It has been a great opportunity for the Coalition to work with Anti-Slavery International to end slavery around the world and I look forward to us continuing to work together.”
– George, Tanzania Child Domestic Workers Coalition.
Our partnership approach
Our partnerships take many forms, including:
- Advocacy partnerships – convening advocacy networks and consortia; working with other national and international actors on shared advocacy objectives.
- Project partnerships – working with other organisations to co-create and deliver projects which combine work on the ground and advocacy at all levels for prevention and protection from slavery.
- Research and learning partnerships – developing and carrying out research and learning with other organisations to inform advocacy and programme responses.
- Strategic Partnerships – longer term relationship with shared objectives and agreed areas of collaboration or exchange (where we may not continuously have funded work together).
We are also a member of many coalitions, strengthened through the diversity of members. While we may have different focuses, we work together when our objectives align.
In 2022, we critically assessed our partnership model and have been rolling out a new approach. Our new approach will seek to improve the opportunities for learning from each other, fostering further collaboration beyond the confines of a particular project. Through long-term partnerships based on shared expertise, our work can be much more responsive to the ever-changing face of slavery.
Outside of our formal partnerships, global advocacy also requires working with a wide range of allies, including fellow anti-slavery organisations, trade unions, universities, lawyers, businesses and international organisations.
Meet some of our partners through our blogs:
For a full list of our current partners, please see our Annual Reviews.
Shifting the power through partnership
Anti-Slavery International has a long history of dismantling and disrupting the power structures which underpin slavery – our history is rooted in the movement for the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Nonetheless, we recognise that, as a UK-based human rights organisation working internationally, we occupy a particular place in a structural system that often disadvantages civil society organisations in the Global South. We also recognise that our role as an intermediary for funding often limits the extent to which our partnerships can be genuinely equitable. We are committed to constantly reviewing our practice, seeking ways to shift power within these constraints, and advocating for the same. We are working with our partners to identify and agree on the mutual added value of working together in partnership, with greater clarity on what each of us contributes. By working together, we know we will achieve a more significant impact.
We know we can’t end slavery alone and are proud to work alongside our partners, knowing that we have a more significant impact than we ever could.
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