UK Anti-Slavery Day on 18th October is a chance to raise awareness of modern slavery, highlight good practice, and focus attention on the areas of policy and practice where improvements still need to be made. Each year HTF, with the support of Marsh Charitable Trust, hosts the Anti-Slavery Day Awards to celebrate the work done by the media to highlight important issues of human trafficking, and those who have made an outstanding contribution to the fight against modern slavery.
2024
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION WINNERS
Reducing Vulnerabilities Award: Louise Brown, Black Country Women’s Aid
Rebuilding Lives Award: Bex Keer
Empowering Survivor Voices Award: Jane Lasonder
Statutory Services Award: Emma Rickard-Watkins, Metropolitan Police
MEDIA WINNERS
Best written opinion piece dealing with Modern Slavery: LabourList (Jess Phillips), Labour should commit to ending modern slavery for good
Best news piece dealing with Modern Slavery: Sky (Jennifer Scott), Theresa May slams Illegal Migration Bill for allowing 'more slave drivers to make money out of human misery'
Best investigative news article dealing with Modern Slavery: The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (Vicky Gayle , Emiliano Mellino , Hajar Meddah , Charles Boutaud), Visa system forces care workers to stay silent on rape and abuse
Best broadcast piece dealing with Modern Slavery: Channel 4 News (Simon Israel with Voice of Domestic Workers, Sue Clayton, Tassia Kobylinska and Sophie Larkin-Tannett), The domestic slaves rescued from London's richest streets
WITH THANKS TO
Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP for kindly hosting the awards in Speakers House.
And to our panel of expert judges:
Annie McCarthy, Marsh Charitable Trust
Harjeet Chakira, West Midlands Police
Emily Chalke, Ella’s
Olessya Glasson, Modern Slavery Survivor Collective and the Modern Slavery Policy and Evidence Centre
Shalini Patel, Duncan Lewis Solicitors
View all shortlisted nominations for Media and Outstanding Contributions which showcase the incredible contributions to the fight against modern slavery made over the last year.
2023
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION WINNERS
Reducing Vulnerabilities Award: Shalini Patel, Duncan Lewis Solicitors
Rebuilding Lives Award: Emily Chalke and Maria Rente, Ella’s
Empowering Survivor Voices Award: Olessya Glasson, Modern Slavery Survivor Collective and the Modern Slavery Policy and Evidence Centre
Statutory Services Award: Harjeet Chakira, West Midlands Police
MEDIA WINNERS
Best written opinion piece dealing with Modern Slavery: Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes - 'Qatar 2022’s Modern Slavery Critics Must Look Closer To Home’. Read here.
Best news piece dealing with Modern Slavery: Julie Etchingham, ITV - 'Woman's tongue cut by 'cuckooing' drug dealer who took over her home'. Read here.
Best investigative news article dealing with Modern Slavery: Antonia Cundy, Financial Times - 'The Fisherman'. Read here.
Best broadcast piece dealing with Modern Slavery: Datshiane Navanayagam, BBC Radio 4 File on 4 - ‘Modern Slavery in the Care Sector.’ Watch here.
WITH THANKS TO
Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP for kindly hosting the awards in Speakers House
And to our panel of expert judges:
Syed Rayhan Ahmed, Salvation Army
Nusrat Uddin, Wilson Solicitors
Valentina Spencer, Housing for Women
Paul Wiggett, Metropolitan Police
Annie McCarthy, Marsh Charitable Trust
Sosa Henkoma, LEAP
View all shortlisted nominations for Media and Outstanding Contributions which showcase the incredible contributions to the fight against modern slavery made over the last year.
2022
HTF Trustee Awards for Outstanding Contribution in the Fight Against Modern Slavery Sir Mo Farah & Dame Sara Thornton
Outstanding contribution winners
Reducing Vulnerabilities Award Nusrat Uddin, Public Law Department at Wilson Solicitors LLP
Rebuilding Lives Award Valentina Spencer, Housing for Women
Empowering Survivor Voices Award Breaking the Chains Project, Shpresa Programme
Statutory Services Award DI Paul Wiggett, Metropolitan Police Service
Media winners
Best written opinion piece dealing with Modern Slavery Caroline Haughey, The Independent, ‘To Trample over the Intentions of the Modern Slavery Act is Reprehensible.’ Read here and Rowan Williams, The Times, ‘Government should be ashamed of Nationality and Borders Bill.’ Read here.
Best news piece dealing with Modern Slavery Angus Crawford and Tony Smith, BBC, ‘Homes for Ukraine: Housing Scheme called Danger to Refugees.’ Read here.
Best investigative news article dealing with Modern Slavery Emiliano Mellino Pete Pattisson and Rudra Pangeni, Bureau of Investigative Journalism & The Guardian, 'Migrant fruit pickers charged thousands in illegal fees to work on UK farms, investigation shows.’ Read here.
Best broadcast piece dealing with Modern Slavery Leo Burley and Hannah Richards BBC, ‘The Real Mo Farah.’ Watch here.
With thanks to
Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP for kindly hosting the awards in Speakers House
And to our panel of expert judges:
Paul Withrington, Porchlight
Naeema Ahmed, BASNET
Temi Adekoya, ECPAT UK
Annie McCarthy, Marsh Trust
Ake Achi, Migrants at Work
Donna Pryor, Safe Place
Neil Connolly, The Willow Team
View all shortlisted nominations for Media and Outstanding Contributions which showcase the incredible contributions to the fight against modern slavery made over the last year.
2021
Online Anti-slavery Day award ceremony
Due to the uncertainty around social restrictions, this year’s Anti-Slavery Day Awards were hosted online. Voting was open to anyone professionally connected to Modern Slavery or anyone who benefits from the services a Modern Slavery organisation provides and we received over 1000 votes.
Outstanding contribution winners
Reducing Vulnerabilities Award Paul Withrington, Porchlight
Rebuilding Lives Award The West Midlands Anti-Slavery Network’s SafePlace
Empowering Survivor Voices Award Migrants at Work
Statutory Services Award Willow Team, Hampshire Children’s Services
Media winners
Best written opinion piece dealing with Modern Slavery Sarah Jones MP, The Times ‘County Lines Gangs are Abusing our Children While Ministers Dither’ Read here
Best news piece dealing with Modern Slavery Ottavia Spaggiari, The Guardian ‘Escape: The Woman who Brought her Trafficker to Justice’ Read here
Best investigative news article dealing with Modern Slavery Ylenia Gostoli, Al Jazeera ‘The Domestic Workers Fleeing Modern Slavery in the UK’ Read here.
Best broadcast piece dealing with Modern Slavery Duncan Staff, BBC Panorama ‘The Hunt for Britain's Slave Gangs’ Watch here.
With thanks to
Lord Vernon Coaker for hosting the Anti-Slavery Awards
HRH Princess Eugenie of York for announcing the Media Award winners
Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP for announcing the Outstanding Contribution winners
Marsh Charitable Trust
Amies Freedom Choir from Pan Intercultural Arts
No Direction Home Comedy Collective
2020
Anti-Slavery Day film
During this challenging year in which many events could not go ahead, we decided not to hold our annual awards. Instead, we asked people working across the anti-human trafficking sector to contribute short recordings in which they thanked colleagues for all of their hard work during this year, which we collated into this short, heart-warming film.
2019
MEDIA award winners
Best written opinion piece dealing with modern slavery or human trafficking - The Government’s victim protection scheme is deeply flawed. It needs reform., Luis C.deBaca, former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
Best written news piece dealing with modern slavery or human trafficking - Modern slavery victims ‘drawn back into exploitation’ after Home Office slashes support, May Bulman, The Independent
Best investigative news article dealing with modern slavery or human trafficking - Organ trafficking in Egypt: “They locked me in and took my kidney.”, Sean Columb, University of Liverpool, published in the Guardian
Best multimedia piece dealing with modern slavery or human trafficking - Life After Slavery, Kieran Guilbert, Shanshan Chen, Thomson Reuters Foundation
Best film dealing with modern slavery or human trafficking - Doing Money, Renegade Pictures, shown on BBC Two
Special award for media outlet making an outstanding contribution to the fight against slavery - Thomson Reuters Foundation
Outstanding contribution winners
Reducing Vulnerabilities - Kate Roberts, for work at Kalayaan, The Human Trafficking Foundation and Anti-Slavery International
Enabling and Supporting Survivors' Rights and Entitlements - Ahmed Aydeed, Duncan Lewis Solicitors
Rebuilding Lives - Jericho Foundation
HTF Trustee Award for Outstanding Contribution - Phil Brewer
For her pioneering work fighting modern day slavery and spearheading the Modern Slavery Act 2015 through Parliament - Rt Hon Theresa May MP
View all shortlisted nominations for Media and Outstanding Contribution here.
with thanks to:
The former Speaker Rt Hon John Bercow for hosting the event.
Our panel of expert judges:
Steve Carey, Head of Delivery and Police NRM Reform, Modern Slavery Police Transformation Unit
Katherine Lawson, of the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s Office
Kathryn Baldacchino, Anti-Trafficking Programme Manager at the British Red Cross
Rebecca Griffiths, Assistant Director of Children’s Services and Lead for Barnardo’s National Counter Trafficking Service
Dr Carole Murphy, Deputy Director, Centre for the Study of Modern Slavery, St Mary’s University, Twickenham
Kate Garbers, Director of Unseen UK
Rabiya Ravat, Deputy Director of National Operations, Migrant Help UK
Robyn Phillips, Modern Slavery & Exploitation Partnerships and Community Coordinator, Stop the Traffik
Andrew Smith, Chair, Humber Modern Slavery Partnership and Founder/CEO Hull Homeless Community Project
Jill Robinson and Elizabeth McKee, Flourish NI
David Camp, Stronger Together
And Just Displays, Award Co. and Berry Brothers & Rudd. Photo credit: Hannah Isted at Baby Olive.
2018
media award winners
Best written opinion piece dealing with modern slavery or human trafficking - Who should be ‘spotting the signs’ of modern slavery?, Leticia Ishibashi, FLEX
Best written news piece dealing with modern slavery or human trafficking - ‘I feel I am dying’: UK tied visa reform leaves abused workers vulnerable, Jack Barton, WikiTribune
Best investigative news article dealing with modern slavery or human trafficking - Dark factories: labour exploitation in Britain’s garment industry, Sarah O'Connor, Financial Times
Best broadcast piece dealing with modern slavery or human trafficking - Spotlight: Tien's Story, Denise O'Connor, BBC Northern Ireland
Best film dealing with modern slavery or human trafficking - The Secret Gardeners, ECPAT UK and Animage Films
Best work raising awareness or educating about modern slavery or human trafficking - Forced labour in the UK: ‘I tried to escape . . . they cut my finger off’, Layli Foroudi, Financial Times
Outstanding contribution winners
Reducing Vulnerabilities - David Camp, Stronger Together
Enabling and Supporting Survivors' Rights and Entitlements - Iwona Twarda, SIFA Fireside
Rebuilding Lives - Jill Robinson & Elizabeth McKee, Flourish Northern Ireland
HTF Trustee Award for Outstanding Contribution - Rt Hon Fiona Mactaggart
2017
MEdia Award Winners
Best written opinion piece dealing with modern slavery: ‘Smoke but no fire: how not to read UK government trafficking statistics’, Patrick Burland, IOM, Open Democracy
Best written news piece dealing with modern slavery: ‘Surge in child refugees trying to reach UK creates ‘terrifying new market’ for people traffickers’, May Bulman, The Independent
Best investigative newspaper article dealing with modern slavery: ‘Trafficked and enslaved:the teenagers tending UK cannabis farms’, Amelia Gentleman, The Guardian
Best broadcast piece dealing with modern slavery: ‘Children trafficked to UK lost in system’ Fatima Manji, Channel 4
Best example of reporting which respects and dignifies survivors of trafficking: ‘My family’s slave’, Alex Tizon, The Atlantic
Best film dealing with modern slavery: ‘Three Girls’, Phillipa Lowthorpe, BBC
Outstanding Contribution winners
Individual from the voluntary or private sector: Karen Anstiss, Caritas Bakhita House
Individual from the public sector: Cristina Gavrilovic, Kent and Essex Police
Organisation: Hope for Justice
HTF Trustee Award for Outstanding Contribution: Jean Simester
2016
Media Award Winners
Best TV or Radio Drama or Documentary dealing with Human Trafficking: Catherine Carr- BBC Radio, 4 Woman’s Hour, ‘India’s Trafficked Children’
Best investigative newspaper article dealing with trafficking for sexual exploitation: Kareem Shaheen, The Guardian, ‘Dozens of Syrians forced into sexual slavery in derelict Lebanese house’
Best investigative article child trafficking: Oliver Holmes, The Guardian, ‘How child sexual abuse became a family business in the Philippines’
Best investigative article forced labour: Felicity Lawrence, The Guardian, ‘The Gangsters on England’s Doorstep’
Best investigative article dealing with trafficking for domestic servitude: Annie Kelly and Hazel Thompson, The Guardian, ‘The vanished: the Filipino domestic workers who disappear behind closed doors’
Best stage or film production dealing with modern slavery: John Domokos and Harriet Grant, The Guardian, ‘I was just a slave: the foreign domestic staff living a life of five- star serfdom in London’
Outstanding Contribution to the fight against modern slavery winners
Practical Support and Assistance to Victims: Shpresa Programme
Policy, research and Influencing work: Kalayaan
Legal work: ATLEU
Outstanding Contribution by a public official winner
Fiona Hill, Downing Street Joint Chief of Staff
2015
Media award winners
Best TV or Radio Documentary Dealing with Modern Slavery: Edward Watts, Channel 4, ‘Dispatches: Escape from ISIS’; John Waite and Sarah Shebbeare, BBC Radio 4, 'Britain’s Legal Slaves'
Best broadcast/press news piece dealing with Modern Slavery: Jenny McCall, Open Democracy, ‘Just how badly does the UK protect victims of trafficking?’
Best Investigative Article or Broadcast News Dealing with Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation: Ira Trivedi, Foreign Affairs, ‘When a Bride-to-Be is a Bride to Buy’
Best Investigative Article or Broadcast News Dealing with Child Trafficking: Annie Kelly and Mei-Ling McNamara, The Guardian, ‘3,000 children enslaved in Britain after being trafficked from Vietnam’
Best Investigative Article or Broadcast News Dealing with Forced Labour and Domestic Servitude: Felicity Lawrence, The Guardian, ‘Lithuanian migrants trafficked to UK egg farms sue “worst gangmaster ever”’
Best Stage or Film Production Dealing with Modern Slavery: Martin O’Brien, Ten Ten Productions, ‘This is My Body’; Tim Keeling, ‘Yoke Farm’
Outstanding Contribution to the fight against modern slavery winners
Rachel Witkin, Helen Bamber Foundation
Professor Gary Craig, Durham University and Wilberforce Institute, University of Hull
Bronagh Andrew, TARA, Community Safety Glasgow
2014
Media award Winners
Best TV or Radio Documentary Dealing with Modern Day Slavery: Kate Hodal, Chris Kelly and Felicity Lawrence, The Guardian, “Globalised slavery: how big supermarkets are selling prawns in supply chain fed by slave labour”,
Best broadcast/press news piece dealing with Modern Day Slavery: Pete Pattisson, The Guardian, "Revealed: Qatar's World Cup 'slaves' "
Best Investigative Article or Broadcast News Dealing with Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation: George Arbuthnott, The Sunday Times, "Beauty and the Beasts"
Best Investigative Article or Broadcast News Dealing with Child Slavery: George Arbuthnott and Caroline Scott, The Sunday Times, "The road to nowhere"
Best Investigative Article or Broadcast News Dealing with Forced Labour and Domestic Servitude: Kate Hodal, Chris Kelly and Felicity Lawrence, The Guardian, "Revealed: Asian slave labour producing prawns for supermarkets in US, UK"
Best Stage or Film Production Dealing with Modern Day Slavery: Niki Anastasi, "NICU"
Most Innovative Media Initiative: Hazel Thompson, “Taken: Exposing Sex Trafficking and Slavery in India”
Outstanding Contribution to the fight against modern slavery winners
Christine Beddoe
Peter Cox, Croydon Community Against Trafficking
Charlotte Kirkwood, Medaille Trust
2013
Media award Winners
Best TV or radio drama/documentary dealing with human trafficking: Anna Hall, Channel 4 and True Visions productions, “Hunt for Britain’s Sex Gangs”
Best broadcast/press news piece dealing with human trafficking: Juliet Spare, Voice of Russia, "A slave in modern-day Britain"
Best investigative newspaper article dealing with trafficking for sexual exploitation: Daniel Trilling, The New Statesman, "How the Rochdale grooming case exposed British prejudice"
Best investigative newspaper article dealing with child trafficking: Sharon Hendry, The Sunday Times, "A Cinderella Story"
Best investigative newspaper article dealing with trafficking for domestic servitude and forced labour: Gethin Chamberlain, The Observer, "How poverty wages for tea pickers fuel India's trade in child slavery"
Best stage or film production dealing with human trafficking: Ruth Beni, Animage Films, "Dangerous Journey"
Human Trafficking Foundation's Special Award for Most Innovative Media Initiative: The Guardian and Humanity United, Modern Day Slavery in Focus - Global Development Professional Network
Outstanding Contribution to the fight against modern slavery winners
Megan Stewart, Thames Reach
Lara Bundock and Tim Elverson, The Snowdrop Project
Jackie Paling and Pauline Monk, Soroptimist International of Great Britain and Ireland
2012
Media award Winners
Best TV or radio drama/documentary dealing with human trafficking: Chris Rogers, Our World, BBC World News, ‘The Witch Doctor’s Children’
Best investigative newspaper article and/or broadcast news piece dealing with human trafficking (trafficking for sexual exploitation): Mark Townsend, Observer, ‘Joy vanished into Britain's child-sex trade - why aren't we looking for her?’
Best investigative newspaper article and/or broadcast news piece dealing with human trafficking (child trafficking): Sky Sports News, 'Football's slave trade’
Best investigative newspaper article and/or broadcast news piece dealing with human trafficking (domestic servitude): Emily Dugan, Independent on Sunday,‘Cameron plans to drop visa that saved his children's nanny’
Best investigative newspaper article and/or broadcast news piece dealing with human trafficking (forced labour): Alison Holt and Owen Phillips, BBC Ten O’Clock News & BBC Radio 5, ‘British men forced into 'modern slavery' abroad’
Best stage or film production dealing with human trafficking: Adam Gorb, Ben Kaye, Caroline Clegg, ‘Anya 17’
Human Trafficking Foundation Award for Excellence in Journalism - Tim Rayment, Sunday Times
Outstanding Contribution to the fight against modern slavery winners
Ben Wells, Nightingale Trust
Trish Davidson, Unchosen
Mwenya Chimba, BAWSO
2011
Media award Winners
Best TV or Radio drama dealing with Human Trafficking: BBC, ‘Stolen’
Best TV or Radio documentary dealing with Human Trafficking: Mei Ling McNamara, Al Jazeera Europe, ‘Children of the Cannabis Trade’
Best Investigative Newspaper article dealing with Human Trafficking - Trafficking for sexual exploitation: Mark Townsend; The Guardian, ‘Sex Trafficking trade forces women from Odessa to massage parlours in Britain’
Best Investigative Newspaper article dealing with Human Trafficking - Domestic Slavery: Emily Dugan; The Independent on Sunday, ‘Diplomat’s nanny lifts lid on modern slavery’
Best Investigative Newspaper article dealing with Human Trafficking - Child Trafficking: Jon Ungoed-Thomas, Sunday Times, ‘Gangs import children for benefit fraud’
Best Investigative Newspaper article dealing with Human Trafficking- Forced Labour: Chris Rogers and Nadene Ghouri, ‘They’re dying to get to Britain’
Best Stage or Film production dealing with Human Trafficking (Joint winners): Feelgood Theatre Productions, ‘Slave: A Question of Freedom’ and ‘SOLD’
Anti-Slavery International Award: Justice for Domestic Workers
Outstanding Contribution to the fight against modern slavery winners
Lois Hamilton, Northern Ireland Law Centre
