Immigration has never been a popular subject in Britain, more so recently as it has become a major issue not only for British whites but also Asians.

In such an environment it is unlikely that someone advocating completely free and open national borders would get a popular reception.

But then Rahila Gupta has always been a pioneer of sorts, never afraid to voice her opinion regardless of the political weather. The writer and activist, who was one of the early supporters of the women's group Southall Black Sisters, has just published a book on modern day slavery.

'Enslaved' looks into those corners of modern Britain that we know exist but often choose to ignore. For the book she talked at length to five people who were enslaved and have only recently found some measure of freedom.

The book features several stories: Farhia Nur, a woman who escaped civil war in Somalia but, as a failed asylum seeker, cannot work or claim benefits and had to sell sex for food; Liu Bao Ren, a Chinese man who fled religious persecution in China, was smuggled into the UK after a tortuous journey and ended up in dangerous construction work, sometimes only for board and lodging; Amber, an Indian woman in a forced marriage who was starved, imprisoned and assaulted.

She continually compares such situations to the slave trade, abolished by law only two hundred years ago.

She says: "We often assume that slavery belongs to the past or, at best, to the developing world. In reality all our lives are touched by it and our demands as consumers keep it alive. Worse still, we can find slavery closer to home. Many people in the UK are starved, imprisoned, beaten, sexually violated, and made to work without pay."

"The scenarios are many and varied: a massage parlour on your local high street where a trafficked woman sells her body; a beach where cockle-pickers work; the kitchen of a middle-class family where the 'servant' sleeps; or the bedroom in which a man imprisons his 'foreign' wife."

Free the Slaves, an American non-government organisation, estimates that up to 25,000 people may be enslaved in Britain today. The worldwide figure is 27 million.

She wrote recently: "In a democracy such as the UK, the fourth richest country in the world, there is a moral disconnect between a foreign policy avowedly promoting human rights abroad and an immigration system at home that is based on sacrificing human rights in the drive to keep numbers down."

"A culture of disbelief infects the entire system: children are really adults in disguise, and therefore x-rays are to be introduced to authenticate their age; refugees are really 'bogus' because 80% fail the government's draconian criteria; those who are trafficked - that is, coerced or duped - into prostitution are not really trafficked because they knew what they were letting themselves in for."

She is certainly right that these are not the kind of stories most people want to hear. The press is infected with the idea that immigrants into Britain are either spongers of welfare benefits or likely to start a riot any minute.

Rahila Gupta most recently came into the limelight when her co-authored book, Circle of Light, was made into the film Provoked, starring Aishwarya Rai. As part of Southall Black Sisters she had chosen to challenge the legal system at the time in its treatment of abused women.

She was also editor of the book 'From Homebreakers to Jailbreakers: Southall Black Sisters' and has written radio dramas for the BBC.

Enslaved is published by Portobello Books and is out from 13th September. A launch event is being held by Amnesty International.

Media contact: Tasja Dorkofikis on 020 7908 9896 or Tasja@portobellobooks.com