HC Deb 21 November 2001 vol 375 cc307-8
7. Patrick Mercer (Newark)

What actions her Department is taking to reduce the sex trade in young girls in the Ivory Coast. [14152]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development (Hilary Benn)

We are working with our European partners and the International Labour Organisation to try to address this serious problem, which affects several west African states, including the Ivory Coast. It was also discussed at the recent EU-Africa summit, which has set up a taskforce to take action.

Patrick Mercer

In view of the Victoria Climbie case, what further action is being taken at United Kingdom airports to prevent sex slave children from being brought into the country?

Hilary Benn

The Victoria Climbie case, dreadful though it was, did not directly involve sexual exploitation. We have signed up to all the relevant conventions and we are working with the Home Office to ensure that action is taken against people who engage in this appalling trade. The European Union is negotiating a new framework agreement that will oblige all member states to make trafficking for sexual exploitation a specific criminal offence. The sooner we can get that into law, the more we can do to prevent that appalling trade.