Context

The UK backed Modern Slavery Innovation Fund (MSIF) is set to fund six anti-slavery projects around the world.

About

• The MSIF was set up in 2016 with a corpus of 33.5 million pound and is managed by the UK Home office.
• It supports international projects to find innovative ways of stopping modern slavery. It primarily focus on high risk countries from where victims are regularly trafficked to the UK.
• The latest funding marks the second phase of the MSIF and will run until 2021. The first phase included 6 million pounds spend during 2017-2019.
• A grant of up to 800,000 pounds has been announced for new projects, including one in India (Freedom Fund).
• The funding will also be used :
• to run workshops on modern slavery in South Africa,
• improve support for survivors in India,
• develop an online data hub to boost anti-slavery policies.
  
  

  Modern Slavery Different from earlier slavery, modern slavery is defined as "situations of exploitation that a person cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence, coercion, and abuse of power or deception." It is blooming in seafood industry, cannabis factories, forced begging, and sex industry. As per ILO’s Global Estimate of Modern Slavery, globally, there are 40 million in modern slavery and 152 million in child labour. Estimating around 8 million people living in modern slavery in India, Global Slavery Index 2018 ranked India 53th along with North Korea.  Indian laws Indian Penal Code of 1861: Abolished slavery in British India making enslavement of humans a criminal offense. Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act 1976: As a means for sustenance, allows transfer of minor capital to every person coming out of slavery. Target 8.7 under SDG 8:  Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms.