Written question asked by Dari Taylor (Labour) on Tuesday, 17 March 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 23 March 2009. It was answered by Alan Campbell (Labour) on Monday, 23 March 2009 on behalf of the Home Office.

Trafficking of Women: Sexual Exploitation

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to reduce levels of trafficking of women for sexual exploitation.

Answer: We have in place a comprehensive victim-centred strategy to tackle human trafficking contained within the UK Action Plan, published in March 2008 and updated in July 2008. This contains 85 actions across four key areas of prevention; investigation enforcement and prosecution; assistance and support for adult victims of human trafficking and child trafficking.Human trafficking is a across-border crime. Internationally, we continue to work with our partners, especially the European Union and the United Nations to increase co-ordination and maintain a robust approach to the trafficking of women.We recognise also the need for more to be done within the UK to tackle the demand for prostitution, and to this end, we have introduced clauses into the Policing and Crime Bill to criminalise the purchase of sex with a woman who has been trafficked or is controlled for gain.

Secondary information