The Four Types of Freedom Business in Practice
Written By Freedom Business Alliance
Freedom Business is a multi-pronged solution to human trafficking. Each type of Freedom Business has a distinct and important role in the overarching goal of creating life-giving jobs for the most vulnerable.”
Below are examples illustrating the critical roles of the four types of Freedom Business.
Type 1: FREEDOM BUSINESS ENTERPRISE
KitePride is based in Israel and is a Freedom Business Enterprise producing functional, one-of-a-kind bags from up-cycled kitesurfing kites, sails, parachutes and wetsuits. After researching the situation of survivors of human trafficking in Israel, KitePride realised that safe rehabilitation employment was essential. Each KitePride product is sewn in a safe working environment by a survivor.
Freedom Business Enterprises provide more than a job and often take thoughtful steps to creating a trauma-informed, healing-centered workplace. In addition to a salary, many offer employee benefits, care and development programs which are above and beyond what other local businesses may provide.
Freedom Business Enterprises are attuned to the trafficking trends in their local context which allows them to be nimble and responsive to changing vulnerabilities and needs. At the start of COVID-19, KitePride pivoted their business to include cloth mask production so that they could continue to provide jobs to their employees. COVID-19 has impacted human trafficking and increased the vulnerability of many employees of Freedom Businesses¹. Maintaining a stable job and having a net of safe community offered by a workplace has been key to preventing abuse and re-exploitation of survivors during this pandemic.
Type 2: FREEDOM BUSINESS CHAMPION
Freedom Business Champions play an important role in unlocking access to an increased audience of consumers for products and services of Freedom Business Enterprises. This link is crucial – with more markets where Freedom products can be sold, the more revenue that can be generated to maintain and grow more jobs for employees of Freedom Business Enterprises.
Many Freedom Business Champions have an online store and/or a brick and mortar presence in their respective communities, raising awareness about the issue of human trafficking and educating their consumers about the power of an ethical purchase of Freedom products to help end human trafficking.
Better Way Designs and For Dignity provide consumers in the United States and Australia respectively with access to a wide range of ethical products which are sourced from Freedom Business Enterprises around the world.
Better Way Designs has also provided some Freedom Business Enterprises with fulfillment services which is especially helpful for those without a presence in the United States. Their team prepares and ships orders to US customers on behalf of such businesses. This is a great and practical example of how Freedom Business Champions can support, facilitate and extend the work of Freedom Business Enterprises.
Type 3: FREEDOM BUSINESS STARTUP
Every new business owner will share about the woes of starting a business. Freedom Business Startups have these challenges too, but also the additional task of positioning their business to create jobs for survivors.
For a Freedom Business Enterprise Startup, what communities will they provide jobs to? What employee benefits will they provide to help their employees succeed? What other organizations can they partner with to provide holistic support for the employees that need it? For a Freedom Business Champion Startup, they will need to seek partnerships with Freedom Business Enterprises to market their products. All Freedom Business Startups will also be navigating the path of how they can ethically build their brand.
Liluye is a Freedom Business Startup in Spain with a vision to combine ethical fashion with compassion by creating high quality, sustainable, handmade products that will help reintegrate survivors back into society through safe employment. At this early phase, Liluye has been actively seeking personnel and advisors to help bring their vision to life. This is where product development starts as they define their market. They are also building their practices and policies and are seeking partnerships with other organizations for referrals and support.
FBA hopes to provide support to Freedom Business Startups so that they can be encouraged by being a part of a bigger movement of like-minded businesses and to share in resources and knowledge from others who are further along in the journey.
Type 4: FREEDOM BUSINESS INITIATIVE
Many mainstream companies work towards a triple bottom line and have been exploring how they can make a meaningful impact on social and environmental goals. It is now not uncommon for companies to have dedicated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) personnel committed to finding ways for the company to do their part to end human trafficking through both financial and non-financial support.
FBA will be launching research into employment of survivors in mainstream businesses and aims to equip such companies to do so. Our hope is that more corporations will join us in scaling the number of jobs created for survivors. To that end we are actively seeking mainstream businesses that want to be pioneering partners in launching Freedom Business Initiatives within their businesses.
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If you know a business that exists to help end human trafficking through job creation for survivors of human trafficking and those at risk, encourage them to join the Freedom Business Movement here
Learn more about the Four Types of Freedom Business here
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¹ UNODC, Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Trafficking in Persons, accessed at https://www.unodc.org/documents/Advocacy-Section/HTMSS_Thematic_Brief_on_COVID-19.pdf
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