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Anti-Slavery International welcomes the Government’s ratification
of the Trafficking Convention yesterday evening (17 December 2008)
but warns that there must now be an end to the culture of treating
trafficked people as criminals rather than the victims of serious
crime.
By ratifying the Council of Europe Convention on Action against
Trafficking in Human Beings the Government is now committed
to providing minimum standards of protection and assistance to trafficked
people. However, concerns remain on how the requirements of the
convention will be implemented in practice.
Klara Skrivankova, Trafficking Programme co-ordinator for Anti-Slavery
International, the world’s oldest human rights organisation,
said: “While the decision to ratify the convention is an
important step in the right direction, for the Government to live
up to its anti-trafficking commitment it must take steps to shift
the general culture that exists among many authorities, which views
trafficked people as illegal immigrants rather than the victims
of serious crime.
“The ratification of the treaty should bring an end to
the detention and deportation of trafficked people, however, our
concern is that the treatment of trafficked people will not improve
until there is an end to this engrained attitude.
“The Government should now also focus on the issue of forced
labour and ensure that assistance and protection is available also
to those trafficked to work in our factories, farms and even homes.”
Anti-Slavery International estimates that at least 5,000 people
are trafficked to the UK both for sexual as well as labour exploitation.
Human trafficking is the movement of people from one place to another
using violence, coercion or deception for the purpose of forced
labour or sexual exploitation.
The ratification of convention means the UK will be obliged to
take active actions to prosecute traffickers as well as to apply
a range of measures to promote and protect the rights of trafficked
persons. These measures should ensure that:
- a mechanism is in place to accurately identify trafficked people.
- the granting of a 45 day reflection period, and the offering
of assistance and protection, while trafficked people decide whether
or not to cooperate with the law-enforcement agencies.
- access to redress, including compensation.
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