Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Vera Baird (Labour). It was answered on Thursday, 23 March 2006 on behalf of the Minister for Women.

Sex Industry

Question: The convention is very important, of course, but the Government have launched an initiative to try to unite the travel industry, immigration services, police and port authorities in offering early contact for victims of trafficking who are arriving in our country without the language, without a friend and without a single contact, and are perhaps beginning to appreciate what their fate is. That is a laudable initiative, and I applaud it. What will happen to women who take the opportunity to make the contact that is offered? The Poppy project, which is a very good shelter and support project for women—

Answer: When a woman makes it known that she is in that situation, the police need to become involved. Support is provided and her situation is considered, and then a plan is developed to enable her, with help and assistance, and in her own time—we recognise that the situation is often very traumatic and that women need time to reflect—to give her evidence so that we can track down the traffickers. We have a multi-agency taskforce in place and we will continue to work seriously on tackling this dreadful crime.

Secondary information