Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP
MORNINGSIDE & BRUNTSFIELD GAZETTE
February 2008
One of the vilest crimes that threatens our society is the trafficking of human beings. This horrendous crime is the product of organised criminals, whose business is to make money from human misery. It is nothing other than a modern form of slavery.
I have been struck by the number of people I meet in the constituency, especially young people, who consistently bring up the scandal of human trafficking at home and abroad. They reinforce the message that governments across the world need to take action to stop this evil trade.
Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, took an important step last month by announcing her intention to accelerate plans to ratify the Council of Europe Convention against Trafficking by the end of the year. This will provide a framework for the protection of all victims of trafficking and support a more human rights centred approach. Significant progress is already being made and the necessary legislative and procedural changes will be made before the end of 2008. This action marks another key event in this Government’s strategy to protect the victims of trafficking and to bring to justice those who exploit them.
Until 2004 there were no specific trafficking offences in the UK but we have now introduced comprehensive legislation to criminalise trafficking. These offences carry a 14-year imprisonment penalty.
To coincide with the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade last year we launched the comprehensive UK Action Plan on Trafficking. We have also established a dedicated Human Trafficking Centre which brings together the efforts of police and other services to fight trafficking in the UK.
We know there is still a lot to do. The Home Office estimate that 4000 women are trafficked into the UK annually for prostitution, and it is thought that women are involved in the majority of trafficking cases worldwide, with sexual exploitation a factor in most cases. That is why over the last five years, we’ve provided £4m for victim protection under the Poppy scheme, which supports adult women trafficked into the UK for sexual exploitation.
Victims of trafficking are found all over the UK, not just in metropolitan areas. And the victims come from all over the world. Many are from Eastern European countries including Lithuania, Russia, Albania and Ukraine. Others are from the Far East, South America and Africa.
We are committed to tackling trafficking in people, domestically and internationally. The measures we’ve put in place will bring those responsible to justice and protect the victims. I’ll keep you posted on this important issue.
