FairWork

What FairWork does

FairWork is a Dutch non-profit foundation (stichting) headquartered in Amsterdam that combats modern slavery and labor exploitation of migrant workers in the Netherlands, explicitly excluding the sex industry. Founded in 1999, the organization concentrates on three focus sectors where exploitation is most hidden and victims have least voice: care/household work behind the front door, temporary employment agencies (notably meat processing, agriculture, and hospitality), and undocumented workers. It also serves adjacent populations including au pairs and live-in caregivers.

Its program surface spans four interconnected areas: Direct Support Services (triage, case management, and referrals to other organizations); Awareness Campaigns aimed at politicians, policymakers, and the public; the FairWork Academy, which trains professionals in healthcare, municipalities, police, and other NGOs to recognize exploitation signals; and Research, conducted in collaboration with the Universities of Amsterdam, Utrecht, and Maastricht. Reach to migrant communities is delivered through a network of approximately 60 unpaid cultural-mediator volunteers and a small permanent staff of social workers, lawyers, trainers, and program coordinators, providing services in 14+ languages including Arabic, Berber, Bulgarian, Chinese, Filipino, Hungarian, Indonesian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Turkish, and Ukrainian.

FairWork is funded through donations and grants and provides all services free of charge to clients. Its go-to-market is community-led: volunteers serve as cultural and linguistic bridges to victims, supplemented by digital channels (multilingual website, WhatsApp, email), media appearances in major Dutch outlets, and in-person consultation hours. The organization is governed by an unpaid six-member board chaired by Edward van der Kruijk and operates as a registered stichting (KvK 51 96 93 27) with no parent company, subsidiaries, or external investors. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

FairWork

Legal name

FairWork

Website

https://fairwork.nu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FairWork is a Dutch non-profit foundation that combats labor exploitation of migrant workers in the Netherlands through direct support, multilingual cultural mediation, professional training, advocacy, and academic research, focusing on care, temporary employment agencies, and undocumented workers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Labor Rights Advocacy and Anti-Trafficking Services

akta.pro primary industry

Fair Trade & Ethical Supply Chains (Certification, Traceability, Producer Support) (BPAGALAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

Keywords

• Labor rights advocacy
• Migrant worker support
• Anti-trafficking services
• Modern slavery prevention
• Workplace exploitation assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and grants: FairWork operates as a nonprofit organization funded through donations from the public and potentially grants from foundations and government bodies. The organization receives no funding from employers or other parties that could create conflicts of interest.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

FairWork is a Dutch non-profit foundation that combats modern slavery and labor exploitation of migrant workers in the Netherlands through direct frontline support (case triage, multilingual case management, and referrals), awareness and policy advocacy, professional training via the FairWork Academy, and academic research in partnership with Dutch universities. Services are provided free of charge in 15+ languages by staff and approximately 60 volunteer cultural mediators to exploited workers in three priority sectors: care behind the front door, employment agencies, and undocumented workers.

Product overview

FairWork is a Dutch NGO (non-governmental organization) that combats and prevents modern slavery in the Netherlands, focusing on labor exploitation outside the sex industry. The organization operates through four interconnected program areas: Direct Support Services (triage, case management, and referrals), Awareness Campaigns (advocacy and public education), FairWork Academy (professional training), and Research (academic partnerships). Additionally, Cultural Mediation Services leverage volunteers to reach migrant communities in their own languages. The organization serves three priority sectors: care/household work, employment agencies, and undocumented workers. The multilingual flyer and checklist program provides accessible self-service resources across 15+ languages. This is a service-oriented NGO, not a technology platform or SaaS product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Direct Support Services Direct frontline assistance provided free of charge to migrant workers who are victims of labor exploitation in the Netherlands, supporting them in fighting for fair wages and decent working conditions, informing them about their rights, and referring them to appropriate organizations.
• Awareness Campaigns Public and political awareness and advocacy program that raises awareness among politicians, policymakers, and the public about labor exploitation issues, advocates for better legislation by exposing gaps in the system, and includes joint campaigns such as the Still collaboration with the Dutch Red Cross.
• FairWork Academy (Training) Training program that equips professionals in healthcare, municipalities, police, and other NGOs to recognize signals of labor exploitation and take appropriate action, including referrals to FairWork and other support services.
• Research Research program conducted in collaboration with the Universities of Amsterdam, Utrecht, and Maastricht, bridging practice and science to study labor exploitation patterns and inform evidence-based advocacy and policy recommendations.
• Cultural Mediation Services Volunteer cultural mediator program in which trained volunteers use their language skills and cultural knowledge to inform migrant communities about their rights and options in cases of labor exploitation, reaching workers online, in self-help organizations, at meetings, and in their own language.
• Multilingual Information Resources

Quantifiable outcome

• Six Ukrainian workers received back pay after legal battle
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Arbeit und Leben DGB/VHS NRWcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman partner organization that has demonstrated how direct employment (without agency intermediaries) in the meat industry has led to fewer abuses. FairWork uses their experience as evidence in advocating for similar measures in the Netherlands.
• Universities of Amsterdam, Utrecht, and MaastrichtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partnerships where FairWork collaborates with universities to bring practice to science and science to practice, conducting research on labor exploitation patterns.
• CoMensha (Coordination Centre against Human Trafficking)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn cases containing signals of human trafficking, pseudonymized client data may be shared with CoMensha for coordination purposes.
• Dutch Red CrossminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in initiatives such as the Still campaign raising awareness about exploitation.
• SOMO (Stichting Onderzoek Multinationale Ondernemingen)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch organization that published a report on malafide employment agencies in the meat sector, confirming FairWork's practical observations about exploitation patterns.
• Police and judicial authoritiescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFairWork collaborates with police and justice system in supporting victims who want to break out of isolation.
• Social Affairs and Employment Inspectorate (Inspectie Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid)minorOthersGovernment body to which FairWork reports cases of exploitation. FairWork has expressed concerns about the effectiveness of reporting to this body, noting that 131 reports over three years yielded no positive outcomes.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Polaris Project: US-based anti-trafficking organization running the National Human Trafficking Hotline and survivor services. Comparable in operating victim-support infrastructure, training programs, and policy advocacy, though at much larger US-centric scale.
• Anti-Slavery International: UK-based oldest human-rights organization dedicated to eradicating modern slavery and labor exploitation. Highly comparable in mission and policy-advocacy function, though operating primarily through international research and campaigning rather than Dutch front-line casework.
• Free the Slaves: US-headquartered international NGO combating modern slavery through field programs, survivor empowerment, and research. Comparable mission and global advocacy posture, with overlapping employer-engagement and supply-chain awareness work.
• International Justice Mission: Large global anti-trafficking and modern-slavery organization operating across many jurisdictions. Overlaps with FairWork in victim rescue and survivor support, though operating at a much larger scale and broader geographic footprint.

Direct peers

• FLEX (Focus on Labour Exploitation): UK-based charity focused specifically on labor (non-sexual) exploitation of migrants, operating front-line services, training, and policy advocacy. Highly comparable in mission, victim profile, and programmatic structure to FairWork.
• CoMensha: Dutch national coordination centre against human trafficking and sexual violence, with overlapping victim-support and reporting functions to the same government and police partners. CoMensha is the most direct Dutch peer to FairWork and already collaborates on case referrals.
• La Strada International: European platform of NGOs against human trafficking with national member organizations across EU countries. Directly comparable in anti-trafficking service delivery, multilingual outreach, and advocacy model.
• Stichting LOS: Dutch foundation providing legal support to victims of labor exploitation and undocumented migrants, with front-line casework in the same sectors FairWork covers. Closely comparable mission, geography, and beneficiary profile.

Others

• SOMO (Stichting Onderzoek Multinationale Ondernemingen): Dutch research center investigating multinational corporations' conduct, including malafide employment agencies in the meat sector. Already partnered with FairWork on the meat-sector report; comparable in evidence-based advocacy but with a corporate-research rather than direct victim-support orientation.

Regional players

• Payoke: Belgian centre specialized in human trafficking and labor exploitation support for migrants. Comparable services (shelter, casework, advocacy) in an adjacent country with overlapping exploitation patterns in the meat, care, and agency sectors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC0SkoalWgq-l3Dhu6dbAHyQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/FairWorkNU
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fairwork
• Instagraminstagram.com/fairwork_nu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FairWork