Princess Eugenie will “never forget” a group of teenage girls she met who had been trapped in modern slavery in India.
King Charles’ niece, 34, travelled to Calcutta when she was 21 years old in 2011 along with her mother Sarah, Duchess of York, 65, and her best friend Julia de Boinville.
The visit made such an impact the now mother-of-two prompted Eugenie and Julia founding The Anti-Slave Collective charity, which battles to end modern slavery and human trafficking.
Eugenie has now told People about meeting vulnerable women and children in India 13 years ago: “Hearing their harrowing stories of abuse, neglect and exploitation was heartbreaking but also deeply inspiring.
“I felt that if this group of young women had the strength and resilience to reclaim their lives, that we also had a responsibility to do something.
“All these years later, I will never forget those young women; their stories continue to inspire me to this day.”
Eugenie’s India trip also saw her meet met Aloka Mitra, a woman who has led programmes supporting women and children for more than 35 years – who she hailed as “one of the most inspirational women I have ever met”.
It was Aloka who introduced Eugenie, her mother and Julia to a group of teenage girls she had rescued from modern slavery.
The Anti-Slave Collective recently launched ‘My Epiphany’ – a string of short films detailing powerful stories told through journalists, activists, CEOs, and former police officers.
Eugenie told the Daily Mail about the shorts: “Through our new video series – My Epiphany – we are proud to shine a light on the heartbreaking global epidemic of modern slavery.
“We hope the insightful and eye-opening series of powerful interviews will raise awareness on the awful situations many victims are trapped in.”
The Anti-Slavery Collective says there is an estimated 50million people in modern slavery around the world, with 54 per cent of them female.
