Free the Slaves

Free the Slaves met with Guatemala's Ministry of Labor and Social Security to strengthen joint efforts to advance the Alliance 8.7 Roadmap and end child labor and forced labor.

Executive Director Bukeni Waruzi, Director of Government Relations Marie-Hélène Bouchard, Regional Director for Latin America Cinthia Belbussi, and National Consultant Carolina Quinteros met with Claudia Peneleu, Vice Minister of Social Security, and her team: Dorotea Gómez (Director of Social Security), Cristian Cermeño (Director of Labor Rights Outreach for Vulnerable Populations), Aldy Aldana (Director of the Adolescent Worker Protection Unit, UPAT), Carolina Orozco (Director of International Cooperation), Lucía Pinzón (Advisor to the Vice Minister of Social Security), and Odilia Chajón (Department of Labor Affairs).

The meeting centered on deepening institutional cooperation, strengthening the role of survivors and people with lived experience in shaping public policy, and advancing joint initiatives to prevent child labor and its worst forms.

This collaboration reflects a shared commitment: policy that is stronger because it is built with — not for — the people it aims to protect.