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.
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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
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Become engaged in issues affecting migrant women workers
- Educate yourself, read articles, exposes, NGO and government reports and share your knowledge with friends and family
- Volunteer with BTCC and learn more about the issues
- Donate to our advocacy work or directly to local rights-based direct service organizations
Speak Up
To report suspected human trafficking or find information about nationwide crisis/emergency services for survivors of human trafficking, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-3737-888
Volunteer or Intern at BTCC
Click here to check out our current openings
Donate
Your donations keep our programs running so we can continue the fight against migrant worker exploitation, and provide policy resources to grassroots movements
To donate go to http://www.ips-dc.org/donate
or send a check or money order (payable to IPS with BTCC in the subject line) to:
Break the Chain Campaign
Institute for Policy Studies
1112 16th Street, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
BTCC is a leader in the Freedom Network USA, a national network of nearly 30 anti-trafficking direct service organizations that 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.
BTCC is a key ally of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and work on several projects related to international, national, and local campaigns focused on improving the lives of domestic workers in the US and globally.
BTCC is a Campaign Leadership Team Member of Caring Across Generations, a powerful new movement transforming policies, perceptions, and as connected communities, how we understand long-term care. Families, workers, communities, and generations are tightly intertwined. Valuing quality and affordable care, vital intergenerational and interconnected relationships, and the uncompromised dignity of care workers, seniors, and people with disabilities, Caring Across Generations envisions and seeks to build a more just long-term care infrastructure. Caring Across Generations is initiating 2 million new and fair home care jobs, carving out a path for citizenship for care workers, and strengthening and safeguarding Medicare and Medicaid.
Insightful and useful links
Books
The Slave Next Door by Kevin Bales
Global Woman: Nannies, Maids, and Sex Workers in the New Economy by Barbara Ehrenreich and Arlie Hochschild
A Crime So Monstrous by Ben Skinner
Tiffany Williams