HC Deb 09 January 2002 vol 377 cc898-900W
Vera Baird

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how far the UK has fulfilled its commitments under the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons. [23352]

Angela Eagle

The United Kingdom signed the Trafficking Protocol to the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organised Crime, which requires the specific criminalisation of trafficking in human beings in December 2000.

The Government are currently negotiating a European Union (EU) Framework Decision, which is a binding European Union instrument. It contains most of the provisions in the United Nations (UN) Protocol and in certain aspects is more wide-ranging. The Government are committed to making it a criminal offence to traffic in human beings for the purposes of labour or sexual exploitation and is currently examining suitable legislative vehicles to facilitate this and other new offences on people trafficking. Under the provisions of the EU Framework Decision, the United Kingdom will be required to have implemented the instrument within two years of its adoption.

The UK is also contributing to the EU STOP programme, which was set up by a joint action of the European Council in 1996. This programme provides support to member state organisations responsible for action against the trade in human beings and the sexual exploitation of children. A European Council decision of 28 June 2001 established a second phase of this programme (STOP II).

As part of a multi-faceted approach, the protocol also requires work to be done to prevent people trafficking. We are in the process of drawing up a cross-departmental strategic approach to people trafficking that will include a comprehensive programme on prevention and the care of potential and actual people trafficking victims. In the last year, the Government funded overseas projects to tackle people trafficking in Turkey, Thailand and Cambodia. We have also contributed £200,000 to an Organisation and Security Co-operation in Europe fund to help the victims of trafficking and raise awareness of the dangers among vulnerable groups.

In addition, we set up Project REFLEX last year, a multi-agency task force chaired by the National Crime Squad, to co-ordinate action against organised immigration crime, including people trafficking, and to develop the intelligence and strategic planning to underpin them. It is now well established and has already resulted in some major successes involving partners overseas, by disrupting organised criminal groups involved in bringing people to the United Kingdom.

Vera Baird

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress is being made in relation to the recommendations in his Department's report, "Stopping Traffic", published in 2000. [23353]

Angela Eagle

The Home Office report "Stopping Traffic" assessed the extent of trafficking in women for the purposes of sexual exploitation and the law enforcement responses to the problem in the United Kingdom. In response, the Government are currently drawing up a coherent and comprehensive cross-Departmental strategy to address people trafficking on a national and international scale. The Government response will go beyond the report to address both sexual and labour exploitation of victims of trafficking and will engage a broad range of Government Departments and law enforcement agencies with interest in this area.

The Government are committed to putting in place effective measures to combat the trafficking of human beings and to penalise those engaged in this abhorrent practice. To this end, the United Kingdom has signed the Trafficking Protocol to the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organised Crime, which requires the specific criminalisation of trafficking in human beings. The Government are also currently negotiating an EU Framework Decision, which is a binding European Union instrument and requires the criminalisation of trafficking in human beings for the purposes of labour or sexual exploitation. Under its provisions, the United Kingdom will be required to have implemented the instrument within two years of its adoption.