Action against human trafficking

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 22nd Jan 2007

Commenting on the Prime Minister signing the European Convention against trafficking on Monday evening, Dr Evan Harris, Liberal Democrat member of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, who pressed the Prime Minister on the Convention against Trafficking at Prime Minister's Questions last July, said:

"While I welcome the UK signing this important convention, the Government has never explained why it couldn't have done this 18 months ago and started taking the urgent steps required to comply with it and ratify it.

"During the long wait for this commitment and the action that must now flow from it, neither the Prime Minister nor ministers have produced even a shred of evidence that meeting the needs of trafficking victims would have any effect on immigration control. While the Government has dithered, vulnerable women and children have been left at risk and traffickers have escaped prosecution."

"By delaying this announcement until a media-friendly moment like this, the Government gives the impression that it is still led by spin and not substance."