§ Linda PerhamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to combat human trafficking and associated sex-slavery in the UK; and what assessment he has made of the size of this problem in(a) the UK and (b) London. [80535]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthWe have set out our strategy to tackle trafficking of human beings, in the White Paper, Secure Borders, Safe Haven, published earlier this year. There are four main strands to the strategy
strengthening the law;tackling the criminals through intelligence and enforcement;international co-operation and prevention in source and transitcountries; and
dealing appropriately with the victims of trafficking.Forming an accurate estimate of the levels of trafficking in people is problematic due to the hidden nature of the act. There is currently no accurate, reliable data in existence within the United Kingdom or the European Union. A Home Office research study `Stopping Traffic' published in 2000, indicated that the number of women and children trafficked into the United Kingdom for the purposes of sexual exploitation, was likely to be in the range of 140 to 1,400 per year.