§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding has been given to agencies to provide support and assistance to victims of trafficking in the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [76792]
§ Beverley HughesThe White Paper "Secure Borders Safe Haven", published earlier this year, set out a comprehensive approach for supporting the victims of trafficking. We will make arrangements for their protection and support by providing access to safe accommodation and services such as medical care, legal advice, and counselling. We are working with the voluntary sector to set up these arrangements and hope to set up a pilot scheme next year, which will initially run on a trial basis for a period of six months so that we can evaluate its impact.
The Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are running a number of prevention projects aimed primarily at raising awareness and educating potential victims (mostly women and children) of the dangers of being trafficked. We have given £3 million for the International Labour Organisation's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) programme in the Greater Mekong region (parts of Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam). This involves a number of inter-linked interventions to raise awareness, prevent trafficking and to support community reintegration for victims of trafficking. The United Kingdom is also contributing to the European Union STOP Programme, which provides support to Member State organisations responsible for action against the trade in human beings and the sexual exploitation of children.
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