The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief and the rights of women and girls in Pakistan. We regularly raise concerns about the protection of religious minorities, including forced marriage and conversion, with the Government of Pakistan at senior levels, and consistently encourage it to guarantee the rights of all people in line with its international human rights commitments. We also support efforts to address these issues through our development programming, including the Aawaz II programme, which works with communities to promote the rights of women and girls, support victims, and challenge harmful practices.

I have no further information to provide at this point, but I will continue to keep the House updated as and when there are new developments to report.

The noble Lord knows that I am not going to talk about sanctions or whether we are about to lift or impose them, but it is absolutely true that Europe is one of the biggest markets for narcotics coming out of Latin America

and central America specifically. The demand for narcotics in this country is causing misery, despair and the death of children, among others, in that part of the world.

The government is deeply concerned about every death by suicide, including those that occur following content viewed online. The government keeps all legislation under review and will act where needed to protect and support vulnerable people in society.

Under the Online Safety Act, in-scope services must protect all users from in-scope illegal content and children from in-scope harmful content, such as suicide content, including where it is AI generated.

The government is committed to keeping children safe online and will not hesitate to strengthen the law where required to further protect them.

There is detailed published guidance for all staff working in Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs). Detention Services Order (DSO) 06/2016 'Women in the immigration removal estate' sets out the processes that are undertaken in IRCs to ensure that the needs of women are identified and appropriately met and their rights to dignity and privacy are upheld. In addition, DSO 09/2012 ‘Searching Policy’ sets out the requirements for searching women in detention, providing clear guidance that women must only be searched by members of the same sex.

All staff working with women receive appropriate gender specific training (such as the protocol for entry to bedrooms), in addition to any generic training they receive when they undergo initial training or undertake appropriate refresher training. This includes equality and diversity, human trafficking and modern slavery.

The constant supervision of women who are subject to an Assessment Care in Detention and Teamwork (ACDT) plan, should wherever possible, be undertaken by a female detainee custody officer (DCO). In the unlikely event that this is not operationally possible for reasons of safety and security, the details for this decision must be fully documented by the duty manager on the ACDT plan.

There is detailed published guidance for all staff working in Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs). Detention Services Order (DSO) 06/2016 'Women in the immigration removal estate' sets out the processes that are undertaken in IRCs to ensure that the needs of women are identified and appropriately met and their rights to dignity and privacy are upheld. In addition, DSO 09/2012 ‘Searching Policy’ sets out the requirements for searching women in detention, providing clear guidance that women must only be searched by members of the same sex.

All staff working with women receive appropriate gender specific training (such as the protocol for entry to bedrooms), in addition to any generic training they receive when they undergo initial training or undertake appropriate refresher training. This includes equality and diversity, human trafficking and modern slavery.

The constant supervision of women who are subject to an Assessment Care in Detention and Teamwork (ACDT) plan, should wherever possible, be undertaken by a female detainee custody officer (DCO). In the unlikely event that this is not operationally possible for reasons of safety and security, the details for this decision must be fully documented by the duty manager on the ACDT plan.

The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration and asylum system under regular review, and recently published a White Paper setting out the Government’s plans for reform in relation to the exploitation and abuse of migrant workers, and a wide range of other areas.

The Government provides support to migrant victims of VAWG through the Migrant Victims Domestic Abuse Concession (MVDAC) and works with sector leads on this group to ensure they are part of the broader strategy on VAWG.

The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration and asylum system under regular review, and recently published a White Paper setting out the Government’s plans for reform in relation to the exploitation and abuse of migrant workers, and a wide range of other areas.

The Government provides support to migrant victims of VAWG through the Migrant Victims Domestic Abuse Concession (MVDAC) and works with sector leads on this group to ensure they are part of the broader strategy on VAWG.

According to the latest UN figures, there are 942,776 Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazaar. The UK is committed to improving the security of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and we regularly engage the Government of Bangladesh, UN and NGOs on protection issues. UK funding (over £373 million to the Rohingya response since 2017) includes ongoing support to protection services in the camps. We will continue to monitor the security situation in the camps and raise concerns with the UN and Government of Bangladesh.

We continually assess potential threats in the UK, and take protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety in the UK very seriously. Any attempt by any foreign power to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK will not be tolerated. While it is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on security and intelligence matters, where we identify individuals at heightened risk, we are front footed in deploying protective security guidance and other measures as appropriate.

The Defending Democracy Taskforce is reviewing the UK’s approach to transnational repression to ensure we have a robust and joined up response across government and law enforcement.

The UK condemns the attack on Lhubiriha Secondary School that took place on 16 June. The Minister of State for Africa and Development issued a tweet on 17 June sending his condolences to those affected. Those responsible must be brought to justice. We are aware of reports that some schools have since closed due to fears of further attacks. The British High Commission in Kampala remains in close touch with the Ugandan authorities who are responsible for the security of schools.

The UK Government has been at the forefront of the international response throughout the conflict in Tigray. We have engaged directly with the Government of Ethiopia, and that of Eritrea, to press for protection of civilians, unfettered humanitarian access and an end to the conflict. This is in line with our approach to protection of civilians, commitment to Responsibility to Protect and atrocity prevention policy. We have also worked through international fora including the G7 leaders' communique of 13 June.

The UK Government is appalled by the attack on the Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy in Kumba, Cameroon, on 24 October and the horrific killing of innocent children. We offer our condolences to the families of those affected. On 25 October the Minister for Africa publicly called for the perpetrators of this vile act to be held accountable, reiterating that every child has the right to a safe education. As the Prime Minister's UK Special Envoy for Girls' Education, I am committed to ensuring girls' rights remains a priority for the UK Government including fulfilling every girl's right to 12 years of quality education.

The UK Government remains deeply concerned about the situation in the North-West and South-West (Anglophone) regions of Cameroon including reports of human rights abuses and violations by both armed separatists and security forces. We continue to call for restraint, an end to the violence and inclusive dialogue about the root causes of the crisis, including during engagement with senior levels of the Government of Cameroon. The Minister for Africa has committed to visiting Cameroon soon and will again raise the Government's concerns about the crisis directly with the Government of Cameroon. The UK has shared experiences of conflict resolution with the Government, and through the British High Commission in Yaoundé we are also supporting local partners in their efforts to promote peace. We continue to urge all parties to remain engaged in ongoing Swiss-led efforts to facilitate talks and remain ready to support all credible peacebuilding efforts.

My Lords, first and foremost, let me assure the noble Lord that my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary has made it clear that we continue to support the work of the Minsk Group. He and the Canadian Minister for Foreign Affairs, François-Philippe Champagne, issued a joint statement on 6 October calling for an immediate ceasefire and a return to the negotiating table. That must be the first step so that, as the noble Lord has rightly articulated, we can then move forward to holding the perpetrators of crimes fully to account.

FGM is a crime and it is child abuse. We will not tolerate a practice that can cause extreme and lifelong physical and psychological suffering to women and girls.

The Government significantly strengthened the law in 2015 to improve protection for victims and those at risk, and to break down the barriers to prosecution. The Government has: introduced a new offence of failing to protect a girl from FGM; extended the reach of extra territorial offences; introduced lifelong anonymity for victims of FGM; introduced civil FGM Protection Orders (FGMPOs); and introduced a mandatory reporting duty for known cases in under 18s.

FGMPOs are being used to good effect, with 547 being granted since their introduction in 2015 to the end of December 2019.

In 2019, the Home Office held a series of roadshows across England and Wales to train professionals in the use of FGM and Forced Marriage Protection Orders. Around 1,300 professionals attended these events, which raised awareness of the scope and effectiveness of the orders and encouraged professionals to always consider them in any safeguarding plans.

We continue to provide free resources on FGM for frontline professionals, including: an online resource pack, e-learning, statutory multi-agency guidance and a range of communication materials.

Modern slavery is a harmful and hidden crime and its victims may be especially isolated and hidden from view during the coronavirus outbreak. We recognise that there are greater vulnerabilities for potential victims during COVID-19, as social distancing means there is a risk that they are not identified by First Responders and may find it harder to access support. That is why the Government has taken clear steps to address these risks and ensure that we continue to support some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

To ensure victims continue to feel supported and safe, we announced on 6 April 2020, that all individuals in accommodation provided by the government-funded specialist Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract, will not be required to move on from their accommodation for the next three months.

We have also secured £1.73 million of the funding for charities, announced by the Chancellor last month, to provide emergency support to victims of modern slavery who have been impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. This funding will assist individuals supported through the Victim Care Contract and will ensure victims are able to stay in government-funded safe accommodation, access financial assistance, access support services remotely, and make sure we manage additional demand on services during this period.

We have also produced guidance for both First Responders and frontline staff with advice on what to do if they encounter a potential victim of modern slavery while ensuring the safety of victims, First Responders and support staff and adhering to Public Health England guidance on social distancing and PPE where possible.

The Department for International Development has been engaging with the UN and NGOs on contingency plans in the northeast Syria to ensure that they are all doing what they can to assist those who need humanitarian assistance. We have called on all parties in north-east Syria to respect their obligations towards civilians and under International Humanitarian Law.

Assessments have been conducted by in-theatre and UK based personnel, which concluded that the vast majority of the interactions in recent months between HMS MONTROSE and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps were safe and professional. Where there were active attempts to interfere with passage of British vessels, HMS MONTROSE responded within extant military direction.

The UK has deployed additional warships to the Gulf to ensure a consistent presence to reassure the merchant vessel community, and deter any malign behaviour. The UK has also joined the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC), under which we will work with partner nations to ensure the free flow of commerce through the region.

We support the safe, voluntary return of displaced members of Iraq's minority communities, including to the Ninewa Plain. The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa held productive discussions on this subject with representatives from the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government during his visit to Iraq in January. Given that security is one of the primary concerns facing those displaced persons wishing to return home, the Minister reinforced the importance of Federal Government control over Iraqi security forces and militias. We have also supported community reconciliation efforts and pressed for reform of legislation to ensure minorities are not marginalised. On 13-14 February 2019 our Ambassador to Iraq met with Christian communities in six towns across the Ninewa Plain to discuss their needs and priorities and to review the UN-delivered "Funding Facility for Stabilisation" efforts, to which the UK has contributed £23.15 million.