What will the government approach to human trafficking be in 2009?

In November 2008, the announcement that London’s Metropolitan Police’s Human Trafficking team would have its Home Office funding cut from April 2009 represented a major setback to official efforts to fight human trafficking in the UK. The Human Trafficking Team was young, set up as recently as March 2007 and the news of its closure came soon after the team helped secure a major conviction (please see blog post 25 November 2008 ) in which six young men were given heavy sentences in connection to the trafficking of a sixteen year old Lithuanian girl in 2006. With funding slashed (the Team was fully funded by the Home Office Reflex Project) the Human Trafficking Team could not hope to continue its vital work. How could we take seriously the government’s promise to crack down on human trafficking?

Thanks to agitation and pressure from a number of organisations including STOP THE TRAFFIK, the Home Office have agreed to delay the ending of funding until 2010. Meanwhile, they have increased funding for the UK Human Trafficking Centre in Sheffield, which coordinates intelligence nationwide, and are providing funding for further supported accommodation for human trafficking victims.

Many thanks to those who helped bring pressure to bear, and STOP THE TRAFFIK eagerly awaits further news of progress in this area.

Who is fighting human trafficking?

On October 8 STOP THE TRAFFIK Belgium helped the ALDE (Alliance for Liberals and Democrats for Europe) organize ‘Who is fighting human trafficking, who is not?’, a seminar that focused on the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. The first European treaty in this field, it was put into place in May 2005 and came into effect in February 2008.

The treaty focuses mainly on the protection of trafficking victims, the prevention of trafficking and the prosecution of traffickers. An appointed group of experts evaluate measures taken by member countries and recommend action for those countries not complying with the convention.

The aim of the hearing was to encourage member countries to sign and ratify this Convention and urge compliance with the Convention in practice. Several NGO and government representatives from different countries including Spain and Romania participated in the debate. When asked how these two countries were implementing the Convention at home, Spain recognised the need to step up its efforts and Romania, having ratified the convention, still needs to put this convention into practice.  

STOP THE TRAFFIK demanded a new peer review mechanism to evaluate the progress of member countries on the implementation of the Convention after ratification and impose sanctions for non-compliance. STOP THE TRAFFIK awaits a response on this demand, and continues to work with MEPs to improve the human trafficking situation on the continent.