Andrew Wallis has been campaigning against slavery for over a decade. SM celebrates some of the many – and increasing – heroes of modern slavery
The campaigner
Andrew Wallis
Andrew Wallis is just back from New Zealand where he has been talking to the government about introducing modern slavery legislation. The campaigner has been involved in tackling slavery for over a decade, and is now looking to expand internationally with his charity, Unseen. “We have got to have a joined up approach. We think our model of micro to macro, using information from survivors, can help to inform,” he says.
Wallis first came across slavery while his church was working with orphans in the Ukraine. He learned of their vulnerability to slavery when they reached the age of 16 and left the orphanage. Traffickers would turn up on turf-out day, he says, and many were picked up and never seen again. One of his colleagues, also in the Ukraine, ended up having to buy a girl from a trafficker to get her out of the situation.