Filmed in Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, and the United States, Not My Life illustrates the depth and breadth of the problem of modern-day slavery. Millions of children, women, and men across the world and from every society face some form of enslavement, but their plight often goes unseen and unnoticed. Not My Life aims to educate and inform the public on the problem as a whole in order to create awareness and combat the indifference that allows such practices to persist and worsen.

Not My Life highlights Tostan’s approach to bringing about social change as a demonstration of the very real hope that complex and deeply-rooted problems such as human trafficking can be addressed through grassroots initiatives based in empowering, affirming education. The success of Tostan’s communities in building a far-reaching movement to abandon the harmful practices of female genital cutting (FGC) and child/forced marriage serves as a powerful model for change – the sort of innovative and effective model that must be adapted and applied to address the urgent issue of modern-day slavery. In the film, Tostan Executive Director Molly Melching speaks about the paramount importance of educating communities and reaching out to multiple stakeholders: women and men, children and adults, religious and community leaders. When entire communities and their social networks are brought together, united through an understanding of their human rights and responsibilities, and encouraged to engage in dialogue and develop concrete goals to address their challenges and improve their well-being, real social change can take hold.

Tostan and the communities with which it works have demonstrated that education leads to sustainable, community-led social change. Ending modern slavery is possible, but only through such an approach of education and empowerment, one that involves the sharing of knowledge both at the grassroots level and internationally in order to spread awareness, inspire activism, and build concerted, concrete action to combat this modern tragedy.

The Tostan program has demonstrated that sustainable social transformation is a real possibility when communities are given the knowledge and tools to improve their lives on their own terms. Tostan’s innovative educational model for community-led development—embodied by the Community Empowerment Program (CEP)—values cultural respect and community participation and is widely recognized as an effective means to bring about social change.

Currently implemented in eight countries in West and East Africa, the CEP fosters community dialogue about issues related to human rights, health, hygiene, and democracy and provides trainings in critical thinking, literacy, numeracy, and project management. The CEP has resulted in amazing community-led success stories; not only have thousands of communities abandoned female genital cutting (FGC) and child/forced marriage, but Tostan’s communities have also built initiatives that protect children’s rights, provide leadership and economic opportunities for women, improve community medical services, and protect the environment.

Communities are capable of great things. Tostan has provided a model for unlocking this potential and empowering communities to transform their society. In the face of a problem as complex and widespread as human trafficking, the Tostan model can serve both as a source of hope for the possibility of change and as an urgent call to action. The time to act against human trafficking is now, and empowering communities can be a vital first step.

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Tostan Featured in Not My Life: Hope for Ending Modern Slavery