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Human Trafficking

We will learn from anywhere that can provide appropriate examples of how to deal with the problem. However, an awful lot of work is going on with children; I do not necessarily accept the hon. Gentleman's argument that in this country such children are treated worse than the adults. We have worked with the NSPCC to develop an advice and information line for social care and other professionals, to help them identify and support trafficked children. The advice line went live in October last year and in December multi-agency guidance was published to provide comprehensive information for all front-line professionals on the identification of victims and the actions required. As well as that work on the four main strands of the action plan, we have continued to work with international partners in bilateral and multilateral projects to share expertise and improve information sharing in this area. In particular, we are jointly leading an initiative on human trafficking, under the auspices of the G6, with Poland. We are also committed to strengthening our approach to tackling the demand for prostitution, which can contribute to the demand for human trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation. As Members know, last week I led a ministerial visit to Sweden to look in more detail at the implementation of the legislation that criminalises the purchase or attempted purchase of sexual services. The information that we gathered will contribute to a six-month review of what more we can do on this issue, which will consider legislative and non-legislative options and look at the range of experiences in other jurisdictions. I have covered some of the current areas of activity. I believe that we have made significant progress in the battle against human trafficking but, as I have explained, trafficking is multifaceted and needs to be fought on many fronts. The key to a successful response is effective collaboration and partnership working, and we have embraced that approach. Alongside an inter-ministerial group, we, the Government, have sought to involve stakeholders through our ministerial non-governmental organisation group, which next meets on 28 February, and through participatory meetings such as the international seminar on the Council of Europe convention that we hosted in December. In its report of 13 October 2006, the Joint Committee on Human Rights commented that it was encouraged by its belief that"““the Government is also committed to achieving the best possible balance in its overall policy to combat trafficking, grounding that policy in human rights standards, and has an open mind about how this can best be achieved.””" There is still much more to do, but I assure the House that the Government's commitment and determination to combat this horrendous crime is absolute, and we will continue to fight against this form of modern-day slavery. There cannot be many more important priorities for a Government. It is simply unacceptable that 200 years after the House of Commons abolished slavery it once again falls to us to tackle those who would use other human beings as property to be profited from. We must not allow it, nor will we. I commend the amendment to the House.