S.p.e.w.

For SPEW, and any Elf-Union, three objectives-
1)Free any house-elf that wishes to be freed, or given a paid job with a good household. It's not as though they would ask that much, and their must be a lot of nice wizarding moms who would love some help (Mrs. Weasley, for instance.)
2)NOT FREE any house-elfs that dont WANT to be free- BUT set regulations on their treatment. Relocation of any house-elfs belonging to known DE families (the Malfoys can keep one, with severe limitations.)
3) General improvement of house-elf conditions, assesment of house-elf philosophy in population, and maybe support of more independent-thinking house-elfs to teach others.

Those sound like good goals to me

I second this notion.

re: 2
Make the abuse of house elfs illegal.

also,
house elf magic....
perhaps we should learn more about what they can and cannot do.
If we're going to be serious about it - we should also de-mystify areas that we are unfamiliar with.

Yeah , that's great . I'll join . So tell me how can I help !

Good One Teddy !

I'd like to case manage clients in either section 2 or 3:

Section 2: Restrictions / Relocation / Rehabilitation or
Section 3: Education and Assimilation into Society

Where should our head quaters be, Number 12 Grimauld Place ?

I've done a run 'round the street ...I have 37,000 knitted hats , scarves , mittens and socks

Thank you i completely agree with the limitations and goals and want to thank everyone for taking it seriously....
These things need to be taken seriously!
*nodding with approval and beaming with huge smile*

We definitly will need people that can teach awareness and check in on households that have been acussed.
*hmmm mind is racing now*

I would also like to propose we dont call ourselves spew but something in memory of the brave little dobby.....
Bringing abused house elves happiness!

I would qualify all of these ideas.
I would not suddenly and arbitrarily pull the rug out from under such a wide-spread and entrenched institution. The consequences I can already foresee, even with my limited imagination, would be unacceptable. The consequences that I can't imagine would undoubtedly be catastrophic. It must be done slowly, carefully and thoughtfully, on a case-by-case basis.

That's one example, right off the top. No, in the beginning, we would probably find massive resistance, as in "That's not the point of a house elf." Perhaps the whole point of a house elf could change over time.

Another issue – what about the offspring of a free elf who resents this status?

The whole Death Eater issue is moot. Whatever that person has done is not necessarily relevant to the welfare of that individual elf. And anyway, most of them will spend whatever is left of their lives in Azkaban. The families can not be presumed guilty.

I'm not quite sure what this means.

The first and probably biggest hurdle would be to define "abuse," and that definition must come from the elves themselves.
In the beginning, their level of tolerance would undoubtedly be shockingly low by our standards. Still, without the agreement of the majority of elves, any do-gooder interference would cause more harm than good. Over time (perhaps generations) the elves' ideas of abuse would probably drift closer to ours.

We would probably need a hiarcy of different forms of abuse. Some things that we find offensive, but elves do not, would not be considered abuse at all. Some would be cause for intervention and moderating. Only those things that most elves agree are intolerable would result in the involuntary removal of the elf.

And even then, the removal need not be permanent. Family dynamics change. The priority, as with cases of muggle child abuse, would be whatever is in the best interests of the elf. Supervision, visitation rights, weekend visits, permanent return to the original family, whatever works.