A series of fascinating talks in Skelmorlie hosted at Strathclyde House continues on Sunday April 23.

Ben Cooley, chief executive officer of the Hope for Justice movement, will share his inspiring story of how they take a practical view to ending slavery.

The dynamic young man is an excellent communicator and will share some of his stories about how Hope for Justice freed young people from sexual and other forms of slavery.

Hope for Justice have specialist investigators who work closely with law enforcement to identify victims of trafficking and modern slavery, build bridges of trust with them and remove them from situations of exploitation.

The group work with victims to overcome trauma and rebuild their lives, and train frontline professionals to spot the signs of modern slavery and act on it, and seek policy change by influencing governments.

Ben said: “We’ve brought together a multi-disciplinary team to combat a complex crime which has a profound impact upon its victims.

"Our highly experienced staff are bringing expert care and innovative strategies to their work with victims, partner organisations, law enforcement and government. I’m incredibly proud of the work they do each day.

"We exist to bring an end to modern slavery by rescuing victims, restoring lives, and reforming society."

The Hope for Justice website reveals the extent to the problem: "Trafficking is a global problem and it’s happening in our communities, perhaps even on our street. In a 2005 report the International Labour Organization estimated that $31.6bn is made from the forced labour of trafficking victims, with $15bn of that money being generated within industrialised nations like our own – that’s pretty much half. With the public paying more for services in ‘developed’ nations there is more profit to be made from forced labour and sex trafficking in nations like our own than in ‘developing’ countries.

"It’s impossible to know the exact number of victims of human trafficking that exist because it’s a crime that happens mostly out of the public eye and within a criminal underground.

"With human trafficking being conducted so successfully out of the public eye, half of the battle is awareness. If we can get people to think about trafficking, we can teach them to recognize trafficking indicators and we can make it significantly more difficult for traffickers to operate in the UK.

* The six o'clock service and supper takes place at the Strathclyde House Apartments, Shore Road, Skelmorlie, starting at 6pm on Sunday April 23.