The momentum in the fight against modern slavery continues to grow as philanthropists and business figures increase their engagement in this cause.

I was fortunate last night to attend the launch of the Anti-Trafficking Fund of the British Asian Trust at their gala dinner in London as a guest of trustee Chris Mathias. The Fund was launched by the Trust’s founder and patron Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, who stated “As you can perhaps imagine, I am extremely proud that my British Asian Trust is making its own contribution to these overall efforts by this year launching its Anti-Trafficking Fund, which I hope will help in a small way to prevent and address violence against women and children.” Attendees included Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kailash Satyarthi; and Indian actress, Rani Mukerji.

A key driver of the British Asian Trust’s new focus on sex trafficking is Clare Mathias, founder and chair of the Hummingbird Trust, which has a long history of fighting sex-trafficking of girls and women in India. A report commissioned by the Hummingbird Trust on sex trafficking in India can be found here.

The Freedom Fund is delighted to see the growing mobilisation of philanthropists in the anti-slavery space, and looks forward to working with them and the British Asian Trust to drive a measurable reduction in the scourge of modern slavery in India and beyond.