A VOLUNTEER who gave up her Christmas to work in an Indian village is now serving her community as a modern slavery case worker.

Beth Meadows, from Leigh, spent last year's festive period working with young people from Britain and India with the organisation Pravah as part of the UK government-funded International Citizen Service (ICS), and developed a women's group in the village where she was based.

Since returning from her placement, she has secured a role as an outreach caseworker for charity City Hearts, which supports and restores the lives of survivors of modern slavery.

Beth, 22, said: "So far I am thoroughly enjoying my role as a caseworker.

"Working with City Hearts has really opened my eyes to the shocking reality and struggles that survivors face as they try to regain stability and happiness in their lives.

"Each day is different as clients have a variety of needs and I am there to support them in any way I can.

"The support provided by City Hearts is a lifeline for them in many cases and I am very proud to be working with such an organisation.”

Figures show that 77 per cent of modern slavery cases in the UK are women with 87 per cent of them facing sexual exploitation.

Beth has also delivered a speech on women's empowerment at the University of Liverpool's Guild recently to provide her own insight into the lives of rural north Indian women.

Beth added: "My work with women in India is what I loved most about the placement.

"I felt so inspired by them and learnt a lot about how female empowerment works in different cultural contexts.

"It really motivated me to apply for a role at City Hearts as I wanted to continue working with women from different countries on a one-to-one basis."

Before Beth went to India she also completed a sponsored cycle from London to Paris to raise £800 for Pravah to allow communities in developing countries to benefit from the work of volunteers in the future.

For more information about ICS visit volunteerics.org.