HC Deb 11 March 1997 vol 292 cc259-60 10.43 pm
Dame Peggy Fenner (Medway)

I have the honour to present this petition to the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled. This is the first volume of nine similar volumes. In 1994, I presented a petition on behalf of the National Council of Women.

The petition reads: The Humble Petition of Members of Action for Children Campaign, the National Council of Women of Great Britain, Affiliated Societies and Residents and Citizens of the United Kingdom Sheweth That we, the undersigned, hereby:

  1. 1. express our deep concern at continuing reports that citizens of developed nations travelling abroad may be encouraging the use of children in prostitution and pornography;
  2. 2. affirm our commitment to the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which seeks to protect children from sexual exploitation; and
  3. 3. call upon Her Majesty's Government to seek to play an active role in bringing about concerted international action to tackle this problem and in particular to examine ways of ensuring that individuals involved in such exploitation are brought to justice within the United Kingdom.
Wherefore your Petitioners pray that your Honourable House do introduce legislation to ensure that citizens of the United Kingdom who commit serious sexual offences against children abroad can be prosecuted in this country. And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray, etc. To lie upon the Table.