GFEMS exists to build a lived experience-led anti-slavery movement.
Get InvolvedOur Purpose
GFEMS is an international fund working to end modern slavery. Our purpose is to create the environment where survivor-leaders and grassroots organizations can thrive as the first step towards building a movement.
Vision
A world of dignity built by movements that center those with lived experience.
Mission
We fund and advocate for a movement to address the root causes of modern slavery.
What We Do
GFEMS supports Movement Building & Advocacy and builds lived experience leadership in all of its work.
Movement Building
Supporting and growing a vibrant, lived experience-led movement is the overarching goal of nearly all of our work. Unlike other forms of intervention or change making, movements are mass mobilizations where the agenda is set by those most proximate to the issue. Effective movements are organized and have a coherent, widely-agreed set of asks.
The Fund embraces this approach because we understand that we are part of a global ecosystem. Success in solving this issue depends on a lot of people, institutions, and other movements recognizing that we’ve got shared goals and intertwined interests. It’s also about Dignity. Modern slavery is ultimately about denying the inherent dignity of individuals, and so the way we fight it is by embracing the dignity, power, and self efficacy of those it has impacted.
Advocacy
We support work that influences decision making processes at the local, national and international level that expands the rights of impacted people. The goal of our advocacy work is to ensure that these decision making processes at all levels are informed and driven by those most proximate to the issue.
There is tremendous opportunity in advocacy guided by movements and people most proximate to the problem. Advocacy can be much broader than criminal justice and prohibitions against traffickers–it can focus on positive protections of the core rights of survivors rather than just . Survivor groups are already calling for this approach and could use support.