A GIANT sculpture of a wrapped present will be in Bradford city centre in a striking bid to raise awareness of modern day slavery.

The eye-catching installation will be in City Park as part of Bradford Safeguarding Week, which highlights issues such as grooming, exploitation and neglect.

The GIFT box, which people can walk into, represents the idea that victims are lured in with promises but once inside, presented with a different reality.

Soroptimist International of Yorkshire is hosting the event.

Its president Margaret Cook said: "Sexual exploitation, very much in the news, is very evident in our modern day life.

"The GIFT Box aims to raise awareness about trafficking of persons and grooming in a way that people will learn about safe relationships and be able to discern what is happening to them or to others."

Soroptimist International has worked for many years to raise awareness about trafficking and grooming and has lobbied for its recognition and changes in law.

Figures released today by the National Crime Agency estimate that 2,744, people, including 602 children, were potential victims of trafficking for exploitation in 2013 - an increase of 22 per cent on 2012.

In the North East region, 230 potential victims were reported.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for West Yorkshire, Mark Burns-Williamson, will be in Bradford on Monday when the UN GIFT box is opened by The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Mike Gibbons.

Earlier this year he called for the creation of a national working group among Police and Crime Commissioners to tackle human trafficking head-on and last month hosted a meeting of child protection experts across the region.

The UN GIFT box is a joint project by STOP THE TRAFFIK and the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking. It will be open from10am until 4pm until Saturday, October 11.

Kate Dangerfield from anti-trafficking group STOP THE TRAFFIK said: "The GIFT box is a fantastic art installation which enables the general public to learn about the crime of human trafficking. Human trafficking occurs when people are moved from a community into a community and therefore we believe that communities hold the power to disrupt and prevent this crime.

"The GIFT box has been used in communities across the UK and in growing number of countries all over the world.

"Thousands of people have learnt what trafficking is, how it affects them and their communities and have been empowered to take action to stop it. I encourage everyone in Bradford to head down to the GIFT box and have a look, to learn more and find out how they can be involved in creating a world in which no man, woman or child is bought and sold."