Tories call for crackdown on human trafficking

Published by Anonymous for 24dash.com in Communities and also in Central Government

The Conservatives called on ministers to crack down on human trafficking today.

Shadow home secretary David Davis said the Government should immediately introduce a treaty which will allow alleged victims of sex trafficking - and other forced labour - to stay in Britain for up to 30 days.

The Council of Europe's Convention on Action Against Human Trafficking has already been signed by ministers but has not yet been ratified.

It will come into force in other countries next month.

The Conservatives also published a number of other measures designed to combat the problem, which is estimated to involve 800,000 people being illegally trafficked across international borders every year.

The Tories said the number of places at safe houses should be increased, and rules should be changed to allow support groups to help children aged 16 to 18.

The party also said the nationwide anti-trafficking campaign involving every police force in the UK and Ireland - known as Operation Pentameter
- should be made permanent.

Mr Davis said: "The Government signed the European Convention on Human Trafficking amidst great fanfare last year.

"But, a year on, the Government doesn't even have a plan or timetable for ratification.

"As a result, the Convention will enter into force next month without Britain as a party.

"In the meantime, this dreadful problem continues, the traffickers increasingly operate with impunity and we are betraying the victims of this appalling trade, including some of the most vulnerable in our society."

He added: "We call on the Government to honour its commitment to become a party to the Convention without delay.

"A Conservative government will take serious, immediate and sustained action to stamp out human trafficking in Britain."

The Tories have repeatedly called for a UK border police force to be created but when ministers announced similar plans last year police were excluded from plans which will see immigration, Customs and other border officials merged into a single organisation.

Former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Stevens has carried out an inquiry into the issue for the Tories.

His final report is due to be published within weeks, a Tory spokesman said.

Mr Davis said of the proposal to make Operation Pentameter a permanent
measure: "It is a nationwide problem, it is a nationwide tragedy, it is a nationwide disgrace and it should be treated on a nationwide basis."

Shadow Leader of the House, Theresa May said: "The time for talking is over and the time for action is now."

She added that she disagreed with a proposal put forward by deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman to make paying for sex a criminal offence.

"My feeling is that if you introduce an offence you would simply drive it underground," Ms May said.

The Tories highlighted a report by international children's charity Unicef which showed that out of 330 children discovered to have been trafficked into the UK over 18 months, 183 later went missing from care.

The Tory document added: "There is no safe accommodation providing 24-hour care for trafficked children and as a result many of them end up in foster care, hostels or even bed-and-breakfast accommodation."

Mr Davis said: "It is quite incredible that this is happening.

"The simple truth is that the legal responsibility of social services to take children into care is to protect them, and patently this is not happening.

"It is hardly surprising that other youngsters are not encouraged to take the same protection."

The shadow home secretary said he was moved by the thought that trafficked girls were being denied help by specialist projects for women who have been forced into prostitution because current rules mean they are not allowed to help under-18s.

"The idea of a girl of 15 from Estonia going to one of these centres and being turned away makes me want to cry," he said.