History

Charity workers in India are fed up and frustrated. Interventions to fight modern slavery are simply not working. In 2008, Justice and Care is born from the belief that to dismantle modern slavery, we need to bring together governments, police forces and other NGOs – we need a new way to combat the issue.

Our story

2008-2009

Foundation and Formal Establishment

Laid the groundwork for Justice & Care’s approach to tackling human trafficking, working on the ground in India.
Built deep partnerships with law enforcement, government, and NGOs.
Justice & Care formally established as a charity.
Partnered with the UK Government to help bring travelling child sex offenders to justice, leading to major conviction

2010-2016

Growth and Systemic Change in India

Built deep partnerships with local law enforcement, government, and NGOs to develop a scalable victim care model.

This foundational decade shaped the values, evidence base, and operational principles we would take forward globally.
Rapid growth of operations across India, helping thousands of men, women, and children walk free from exploitation and securing hundreds of arrests.
Initiated systemic change work at state and national level, including the introduction of child-friendly courts in some Indian states.

2017

Breakthroughs and International Expansion

Achieved a major breakthrough with 39 traffickers jailed in Bellary, South India.
Expanded internationally by launching operations in Bangladesh.

2018

UK Operations Begin and Global Recognition

Launched UK casework through the Victim Navigator programme, partnering with police in the south east of England.
The President of India announced national rollout of a Justice & Care-developed anti-trafficking course for half a million young people.
Appointed expert adviser to the UK Government’s review of anti-slavery legislation.
Faced government restrictions in India limiting the ability to fund anti-trafficking work.

2019

Expanding Global Partnerships

Expanded the UK Navigator Programme.
Strengthened aftercare services in Bangladesh.
Joint operations began and investment made in Thailand with partner LIFT International.
Forged frontline partnerships with like-minded organisations.

2020

Innovating and Adapting in a Pandemic

Published ‘It Still Happens Here’, a landmark report exposing the scale and nature of modern slavery in the UK.
Launched the International Systemic Change Unit to drive global policy and legal reform.
Adapted to COVID-19 challenges by providing remote care to survivors in the UK and emergency relief to survivors in Bangladesh.
Co-founded Romania’s National Anti-Trafficking Platform, uniting over 20 NGOs.
Created the UK Expert Witness Network for complex modern slavery cases.
Awards: Thomson Reuters Stop Slavery Award (2020); Third Sector Breakthrough of the Year Award for the Navigator Programme (2020).

2021

Frontline Expansion and Legislative Impact

Began frontline operations in Romania.
Successfully advocated for G7 leaders to address forced labour in global supply chains.
Continued to adapt to pandemic limitations while supporting survivors.
Worked with Lord McColl on an amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, criminalising modern slavery through control of another’s property.
Published the UK’s first report on Cuckooing.

2022

Driving Systemic Change and Global Partnerships

Undertook a review for the Bangladesh Government on backlogs of over 4,500 trafficking cases, leading to systemic improvements.
Launched the Global Prosecutors Consortium in partnership with the McCain Institute (USA).
Helped establish the Coalition to Stop Slavery in the UK.
Bangladesh Country Director Tariqul Islam named a Global Hero by the US State Department.
Award: Thomson Reuters Stop Slavery Innovation Award for the Navigator Programme (2022).

2023

Legal Reforms and Technological Innovations

Successfully campaigned for a legal minimum age of consent in Romania to help protect children from sexual exploitation.
Facilitated the first use of video evidence in Bangladesh anti-trafficking tribunals.
Awards: Finalist, Charity of the Year; Charity Film Award finalist and Highly Commended at Smiley Charity Film Awards; Serious Organised Crimes Network Award; Police Scotland Tayside Partner of the Year Award (2023).

2024

Deepening Systemic Change

Appointed Madalina Turza, former Secretary of State for the Romanian Government, as Country Director, enabling high-level partnerships and government MOUs.
Released the Criminal Exploitation Report revealing that 45% of victims of criminal exploitation in the UK are British boys aged 17 and under.
Supported the Ministry of Home Affairs in Bangladesh to adopt the first National Referral Mechanism (NRM) software system developed and hosted by Justice & Care.
Award: Shortlisted for The Charity Awards: Social Care, Advice and Support (2024).

2025 so far

Legislative Breakthroughs and New Initiatives

Landmark legislation passed in England and Wales criminalising cuckooing after three years of campaigning with the Centre for Social Justice.
Published ‘Hidden Chains & Missing Links’, a groundbreaking report on child trafficking in Romania.
Launched the Romania Anti-Child Trafficking (ROACT) Initiative, engaging decision-makers to support communities tackling child trafficking.

Looking Ahead

By 2035 we aim to significantly reduce modern slavery in our three strategic focus countries: Bangladesh, UK, and Romania.
Our strategy focuses on going deeper, not wider—testing and scaling models of effective intervention, and sharing learning to create global impact.
We are in it for the long haul: modern slavery is complex and change takes time, but we will not stop until slavery becomes history.