Kevin Bales

Anti-slavery activist
Kevin Bales is the co-founder of Free the Slaves, whose mission is to end all forms of human slavery within the next 25 years. He's the author of "Ending Slavery: How We Free Today's Slaves."

Why you should listen

As an author, a professor of sociology, and consultant to the United Nations Global Program on Human Trafficking, Kevin Bales is one of the world’s foremost experts on modern slavery. He has made it his mission to eradicate global slavery.

Along with traveling the world doing investigative research, authoring books, racking up human rights awards, and teaming up with Simon Pell to form a fundraising consultant firm, Pell & Bales Ltd., he established Free the Slaves, a nonprofit whose brilliant website is packed with facts and inspirations to action. With Free the Slaves, Bales has mapped out ways to spread the message and gain resources that assign governments, the UN, business, communities and individuals specific roles in the fight to end slavery. In his new book, The Slave Next Door, he explores the relationship of slavery and environmental destruction. Armed with a compelling presence and a hopeful heart, he is enticing the world to help, so that we can all one day say the words: Mission Accomplished.

Kevin Bales’ TED talk

More news and ideas from Kevin Bales

In Brief

An ultra-low-cost online MBA launches today … and more news from TED speakers

March 15, 2016

  Shai Reshef’s nonprofit University of the People — which offers nearly tuition-free, accredited degrees online — today launches its first graduate degree, an MBA program in 12 courses. Although there are no tuition or textbook fees, there is a $200 testing fee per course, which means students can expect to pay $2,400 for their MBA (compare this to the average cost […]

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Live from TED

How to combat modern slavery: Kevin Bales on TED.com

March 29, 2010

In this moving yet pragmatic talk, Kevin Bales explains the business of modern slavery, a multibillion-dollar economy that underpins some of the worst industries on earth. He shares stats and personal stories from his on-the-ground research — and names the price of freeing every slave on earth right now. (Recorded at TED2010, February 2010 in […]

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