Ping Pong-A-Thon is a fundraising & advocacy movement.

We live in the most technologically advanced era the world has ever known. And yet, there are 40.3 million slaves in the world today, (Global Slavery Index, 2018), more than at any other time in history. Despite the best efforts of abolitionists across the centuries, the buying and selling of human beings for profit is booming. It’s typically the poor who are targeted. Yet, anyone in the wrong circumstances is vulnerable to being trafficked or exploited. Exploitation is no respecter of gender, age, race or status.

While the majority of trafficking and exploitation takes place in third world or developing world settings, (there are an estimated 25 million slaves in Asia Pacific region alone), slavery still exists in some of the most developed nations in the world, (there are an estimated 15,000 slaves in Australia & 403,000 in the USA).

Due to the high proportion of slaves in the Asia-Pacific region, The Pong are strategically partnering with several stand-out partner organisations who are combating slavery in Thailand, Cambodia, The Philippines and India.

People can be exploited or trafficked for many purposes, including:

• Forced or bonded labor

• Commercial sexual exploitation (including online sexual exploitation)

• Domestic slavery

• Forced marriage

• Child labor
  

The majority of The Pong’s partners are focused on sexual exploitation. In 2017 we introduced our first labor exploitation project in partnership with IJM Australia. Our partners tackle the issue in a variety of ways. The Pong prioritise working with partners who are prevention-focused because we believe prevention to be the most strategic method of bringing modern day slavery to an end. Many Pong Partners are also involved in identifying and rescuing children and young people and supporting those who have been rescued with rehabilitation, aftercare, education and alternative vocational training programs.