Trafficking Report Condemns Government Policy

12.12.17pm UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 13th Oct 2006

In response to the report of the Joint Committee on Human Rights enquiry into Human Trafficking published today, Dr Evan Harris, Liberal Democrat member of the Committee who proposed the enquiry, said:

"Our enquiry convinced us that the government's approach to human trafficking is utterly flawed, treating victims of sex trafficking as immigration offenders rather than victims of multiple rape.

"All the evidence we saw both here and abroad demonstrated the need for the Government to provide guaranteed reflection periods for victims to protect them and to aid the prosecution of their vicious pimps and traffickers. In Italy, which has signed the convention and allows victims to stay in the country to help police and to re-train for proper jobs, they have rescued 100 times more women and prosecuted 100 times more traffickers."(1)

Dr Harris raised the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings which the UK has not signed with the Prime Minister at prime minister's questions on 19th July 2006 (2):

"The Government, from the Prime Minister downwards, will still not sign the convention because it has not addressed the scale of the problem and seen that this is a question of fundamental decency and human rights and not one of immigration control."

On the issue of specialist provision for the victims of trafficking, Dr Harris said:

"It is tragic and cruel that there is a shortage of specialist hostel provision and support for the few traumatised women and children that our authorities do identify and the committee is right to urge the Government to properly fund what are humanitarian services."

Related Link:

Questions asked at Prime Ministers question time by Dr Evan Harris MP.