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Home Office

Answer

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to tackle human trafficking into the United Kingdom. [78149] Beverley Hughes: We set out a comprehensive approach to tackle trafficking and other forms of organised crime in the White Paper "Secure Borders, Safe Haven" published earlier this year. This approach encompasses new legislation to criminalise trafficking. The Nationality Immigration and Asylum (NIA) Bill currently before Parliament creates an offence of trafficking for the purpose of controlling someone through prostitution, with a tough maximum sentence of 14 years. This measure will tackle the worst forms of exploitation, pending the introduction of comprehensive legislation that will cover trafficking for the purposes of both labour and sexual exploitation. We are working to tackle the criminal networks involved in people trafficking through Reflex, the multi- agency response to organised immigration crime. Its remit is to co-ordinate operations against organised immigration crime and to develop the intelligence and strategic planning to underpin them. We also recognise the importance of providing protection for the victims of trafficking in order to encourage them to co- operate with the authorities. We are developing support arrangements for victims in co- operation with the voluntary sector and plan to establish a pilot scheme next year, in conjunction with this we are developing a toolkit to raise awareness of the problem with police and immigration officers to help them to treat victims compassionately. Finally, we are working with our European Union partners and with source and transit countries to build effective international action. We have established a network of liaison officers to build intelligence on routes and methods used by the traffickers. We are also working with the International Organisation for Migration to develop a programme for the safe voluntary return of trafficking victims.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

78149; 392 c105W;392 c108-9W

Session

2001-02

Subjects

Crime prevention Immigration controls Immigration Human trafficking Organised crime

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk