Break the Chain Campaign
Break The Chain Campaign seeks to prevent and address the abuse and exploitation of migrant women workers through holistic direct services, leadership training, community engagement and survivor-driven outreach and training.
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The Institute Policy Studies started Break the Chain Campaign (BTCC) in 1997 after an expose in the Washington City Paper by IPS Fellow Martha Honey (entitled "Capital Slaves"), which chronicled the lives of women living in virtual slavery while working as domestic servants for officials of the World Bank and other international agencies.
Upon discovering the extent of exploitation of migrant women workers in the D.C. metropolitan area, the BTCC project expanded beyond reporting to better serve and empower these women. The project has provided legal, moral, economic and other support for hundreds of these migrant domestic workers, from dozens of countries, for over a decade. The project also helped raise awareness of the problem of exploitation of domestic workers in the World Bank and other agencies, and was a key advocate for new policies in these agencies.
Today, the project is a leader in the Freedom Network – a national network of anti-trafficking organizations, which greatly contributed to the creation of current legislation protecting the rights of victims of human trafficking, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and its reauthorization in 2008. We are also a key partner with the National Domestic Workers Alliance, bringing the domestic worker rights lens to trafficking work, and vice versa.
Currently, we focus on research, writing, policy advocacy, and training, all based on our 14 years of direct service experience and our commitment to a rights-based approach.
Recent Work
Blog
Human Trafficking and Immigration: The Ties That Bind
January 10, 2013 - President Obama has declared January as "National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month," and immigration will be near the top of President Obama's political agenda in his second term. By Tiffany Williams
Talking Points
Key Facts from "The Dual Mandate: Immigration Enforcement and Human Trafficking"
January 10, 2013 - Between 14,500 and 17,500 persons are trafficked into the country each year and that approximately 50,000 trafficked individuals may be present at any given time. By Tiffany Williams
Blog
What Will Excluded Workers Celebrate Next Labor Day?
September 5, 2012 - After this year's celebrations of workers' history, it's time to focus on the ongoing fights for the rights of domestic workers, direct care workers, and guest workers. By Tiffany Williams
Blog
Supreme Court Side-Steps Hate, Racial Profiling in Arizona
July 19, 2012 - The Supreme Court's decision on Arizona's immigration laws addresses part of the issue. But let's name the elephant in the room: Racism. By Em Dickey
Blog
Organizing Across Generations
April 2, 2012 - Our allies talk to Bill Moyers about restoring domestic workers' rights and the 99% Spring. By John Cavanagh
Blog
Criminal Moms
March 30, 2012 - Even as a social worker focused on the intersection of violence, ethnicity, immigration status, and the workplace for most of my career, the stories I heard on this trip overwhelmed me. By Tiffany Williams
Tiffany Williams