100 Years After Geneva, Modern Slavery Is Still Invisible By Design

InnovationHealthcare100 Years After Geneva, Modern Slavery Is Still Invisible By DesignByNicole F. Roberts,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about behavioral science, public health & human generosity.Follow AuthorJun 12, 2026, 06:51am EDTThe Freedom Fund hosted a community of practice meeting from 3-6 July where we brought together our partners to share best practice. During this time, there were also two site visits to our partners, Indonesian Migrant Workers’ Union (SBMI) and Inti Solidarituas Buruh (ISB). The fishing vessel workers are fixing the nets of the vessels which are ported at Muncar. Muncar is the biggest fishing port in the eastern part of Java, Indonesia. During the low tide and full moon, most of the vessels don't go sailing. The Freedom Fund hosted a community of practice meeting from 3-6 July where we brought together our partners to share best practice. During this time, there were also two site visits to our partners, Indonesian Migrant Workers’ Union (SBMI) and Inti Solidarituas Buruh (ISB).Armin Hari/The Freedom FundOn paper, Indonesia’s tuna fishing industry is a model of compliance. The vessels are licensed, the ports regulated, and the supply chains audited. But beneath that veneer of legality lies a starker reality. Thousands of fishermen are trapped on these boats, their passports withheld, wages docked, and basic medical care denied. They work punishing hours in atrocious conditions, subject to chronic sleep deprivation and minimal rations while keeping Western supermarket shelves stocked at artificially low prices. What registers to most as an economic or human rights issue is, in practice, also one of the most undercounted public health crises quietly eroding our collective well-being.As the centenary of the global treaty to end slavery approaches, leaders must stop viewing human trafficking as an adjacent social cause and start treating it as part of our collective human...