Humfrey Malins

Conservative Party | Woking

Action against trafficking in human beings

2010 ORDINARY SESSION
________________________
(First part)
REPORT
Fourth sitting
Tuesday 26 January 2010 at 3 p.m.

11. Action against trafficking in human beings: promoting the Council of Europe Convention (Document 12096)

THE PRESIDENT (Translation). – Thank you. Mr Malins, you have the floor.

Mr MALINS (United Kingdom). – This is an excellent and relevant report – and it is perhaps particularly relevant to the United Kingdom, as London is hosting the 2012 Olympic games and we must be alert to the danger of more people being trafficked to the United Kingdom at that time, probably for the sex industry. We must – I repeat, must – prevent that.

Human trafficking is perhaps more widespread than we imagine or care to admit. It includes not just the sex trade, but also child trafficking, domestic servitude, slave labour and debt bondage.

In the United Kingdom, our Home Office estimates that about 360 children are trafficked into and within our country every year – and the figure may well be higher. Tragically, however, it is estimated that a half, or perhaps even more, of the children who are rescued from traffickers later go missing from local authority care homes where they have been placed. So my first suggestion is that we must focus more on what I would call "aftercare", recognising that many of those trafficked are victims more than criminals and should be treated as such.

Next, in the last five years in the United Kingdom, only 452 people were arrested for human trafficking offences, of which only 110 – less than a quarter – were convicted. Perhaps that is no surprise, as some very sophisticated and well-organised criminal gangs operate in this field, but it means that our police must not only be alert to the problem but must become more expert in dealing with it. Much more co-operation and intelligence sharing between police forces across Europe is needed.

I have two more suggestions. First, we must focus more on the need to co-operate with the countries from which most of the trafficking originates. Secondly, we must not ignore trafficking for the purpose of forced labour. In 2008, there were only four convictions in the United Kingdom for this kind of trafficking – not enough, so let us all crack down on rogue employers. Signing conventions is all very well, but it is no real substitute for action by the governments and police forces of different countries.

Finally, talking of work, I wonder whether colleagues realise that here at the Council of Europe, where many people earn enormous salaries, dozens of young "interns" from many countries are working very hard for no pay whatever, with no expenses and no allowances. They may be volunteers, but this situation, in my judgment, is not a happy one.