This afternoon I had the pleasure of meeting Talia Chain from ethical fashion house, House of Beth, to talk about their upcoming event “Fashioned for Freedom”. At this glamorous fashion event in London on 12th November, House of Beth will be raising money the Red Light Campaign and the International Organization of Migration Victims Rehabilitation Fund, and awareness for victims of human trafficking.
Talia believes that many governments really aren’t taking the severity of human trafficking seriously, and the extent of the problem is rarely covered by the international media. The issue is highly political, crossing borders and political affiliations. Whether it is raises issues of governmental corruption, or will lead to unwelcome discussions on the nature of immigration: governments are letting politics and fear prevent them from taking the action required to combat this gross violation of human rights.
Anthony Steen, founder of the Human Trafficking Foundation believes that the biggest problem facing those trying to tackle human trafficking is that “it’s hidden, it’s difficult to detect, and it’s unseen”. He explained to me that the difference between modern day slavery and slavery in the 19th century is that in the 19th century slavery was legal and seen, and today it is illegal and hidden. In fact, there are ten times more people enslaved today than there were 200 years ago. Although the number is widely contested, it is estimated that around 27 million people are currently enslaved around the world. Really, though, the number does not matter. The issue is that slavery is being allowed to continue, despite abolition, and thousands of people every day are losing their freedom and their dignity. Something needs to be done.
House of Beth aims to bring these issues to light through fashion. Not only are they raising money through Fashioned for Freedom, 50% of the money from any purchase from their fashion lines go towards helping survivors of human trafficking rebuild their lives, and raise awareness and empathy in wider communities.
I will be writing more about human trafficking and House of Beth on this blog in early November, and the IPF will be running a featured series on human trafficking in the coming months.
If you are in London and would like to attend Fashioned for Freedom, you can buy tickets here.
If you have a story about human trafficking that you would like to share, please do send me an email.
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