A group of students from St Andrews University have spent 24 hours standing up against modern slavery and trafficking.
The Just Love in St Andrews group organised activities every hour for 24 hours, including running 327.8 miles for the 3,278 additional people said to be trapped in modern slavery each day.
Ahead of World Day Against Trafficking on July 30, their efforts raised £6,000 for International Justice Mission (IJM) – the amount needed to fund an entire rescue operation in partnership with police.
David Westlake, chief executive of of IJM UK, said: “Many people think that slavery is a thing of the past, but slavery today is bigger than ever.
“Ending slavery in our lifetime is possible but it’s going to take all of us to act.
“That’s why we are so grateful to groups like Just Love St Andrews who go above and beyond to ensure that people are brought out of brutal exploitation.’
Just Love in St Andrews is a group at the university committed to social justice, locally, nationally and internationally.
Over the past few years, they have taken part in Stand for Freedom for International Justice Mission – the largest international anti-slavery organisation.
This involves standing up on campus non-stop for 24 hours to raise awareness of the 40 million people living in modern slavery today.
With the Covid-19 lockdown, they were not deterred from standing for freedom again this year, even if it had to look slightly different.
They took part instead in activities every hour for 24 hours, from baking to art, as well as raising awareness of different aspects of modern slavery.
