A message from our team
Dear all,
As 2025 draws to a close, we want to pause and say something very simple and very heartfelt: thank you.
This has been an exceptionally difficult year for our community. For us, and for so many of our partners, 2025 was shaped by funding cuts, a challenging political climate, and the cumulative toll of responding to multiple, overlapping crises. Many organizations have been navigating sudden budget collapses while continuing to show up for survivors and communities under extraordinary pressure. We are deeply grateful for the solidarity, trust and care that carried us through this year together.
In January, the abrupt suspension of USAID activities resulted in the loss of a major funding source for Freedom Collaborative. Many of our partners experienced similar shocks, triggering immediate gaps in already stretched budgets. In response, we worked to amplify frontline perspectives by speaking with the media on behalf of our partners, highlighting the broader implications of the USAID shutdown for victim protection, cross-border coordination, and long-term prevention efforts. Together with allies across the sector, we raised concerns about what these and other funding freezes mean for the global anti-trafficking response, emphasizing the essential role of an independent, adequately resourced civil society.
When our funding disappeared, many of you stepped in – by sharing opportunities, trusting us with work, and hiring us as consultants to help bridge a difficult period. We are also deeply thankful to our new partners who supported us with grants, generous donations, and newly established collaborations. Your confidence and support came at a critical moment and made a real difference.
Even amid uncertainty, our joint efforts continued. Our working group responding to trafficking for forced criminality remained strong and active, even as partners along the Mae Sot border dealt with mass repatriations for much of the year. The commitment to information-sharing, coordination, and mutual support within this group has been a powerful reminder of what collective effort makes possible.
In East Africa, our collaboration with the East and Horn of Africa Anti-Trafficking (EHAAT) Network demonstrated the power of practitioner-led evidence. Alongside launching EHAAT’s new website, we worked together on an updated trafficking routes mapping report, newly highlighting issues including survivor case outcomes, advocacy around legal aid, compensation, and long-term reintegration.
This year, we also worked with partners in East Africa and Asia to ensure frontline and survivor perspectives informed global policy discussions, contributing to the ILO- and IPA-led consultative process on global research priorities for combating human trafficking and forced labour. We additionally launched a new report on the trafficking of East Africans into cyber-scam centers, addressing a critical evidence gap for advocacy and response.
Throughout the year, we continued to prioritize dialogue and collective learning. We were grateful to join friends on a panel at the 24 Hours Conference on Organized Crime, and to co-host two Brave Conversations webinar sessions with our colleagues at the Global Learning Community (GLC).
Above all, this year reaffirmed the strength of this community. Even amid funding losses and political headwinds, partners continued to share information, support one another, and advocate for approaches grounded in dignity, evidence, and collaboration. We are deeply thankful for your generosity, engagement and trust.
Wishing you moments of rest and warmth over the holidays, and hoping the new year brings greater stability and renewed strength for us all.
With gratitude,
Julia, Mallika, Jalil & Elaine at Freedom Collaborative, Inc.
