Combatting trafficking

Written by Sarah Ludford MEP and published in The Guardian: Letters to the Editor on Thu 31st Jul 2003

Your reports show there is much to do before we can expect to see the traffickers behind bars where they belong. The priorities are effective criminal sanctions for all types of human trafficking, an approach focused on prevention of crime rather than deportation of illegal immigrants, and an end to regarding the abuser-victim relation- ship as a private contract.

Last year, EU governments agreed legislation to criminalise trafficking. All member states must ensure that offences are defined in national law, with heavy penalties of long prison terms, by August 2004. The government is implementing this as regards the sex trafficking offences in the sexual offences bill going through parliament. But in answer to a recent question, it said "legislation covering trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation will be introduced when parliamentary time permits". In view of the scale of the problem, with Unicef estimating revenues of $12bn a year, this lack of urgency seems complacent.

FULL TEXT OF LETTER AS SUBMITTED:

The reports by Audrey Gillan and Jeevan Versagar on child trafficking (July 30th) show that there is much still to do before we can expect to see the traffickers behind bars where they belong. The priorities are effective criminal sanctions for all types of human trafficking, an approach focussed on prevention of crime rather than deportation of illegal immigrants, and an end to regarding the abuser-victim relationship as just a private 'contract'.

Last year EU governments with the full support of the European Parliament agreed legislation to criminalise trafficking for the purposes both of sexual exploitation - prostitution and pornography - and slave labour. All Member States must ensure that offences are defined in national law, with heavy penalties of long prison terms, by August 2004.

The government is implementing this as regards the sex trafficking offences in the Sexual Offences Bill currently going through parliament. But in answer to a recent question it said 'legislation covering trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation will be introduced when parliamentary time permits'. In view of the scale of the problem, with UNICEF estimating revenues of $12 billion a year and over a billion children trafficked annually, this lack of urgency seems complacent.

The second requirement is to focus on the commission of a crime rather than immigration offences. The latter view leads to pressure for quick deportation of perpetrators and victims alike. Regarding perpetrators, the priority must be police investigation to secure charges and convictions. I note that your report says Joyce Osagiede, arrested a year ago in connection with the murder of 'Adam', the African child whose body was found in the Thames, 'was not charged and was later returned to Nigeria'.

Victims must be liberated from their abusers and treated as in need of humanitarian protection. They may need visas to stay while they recover and then assistance with return to a safe environment. Some may qualify to stay as refugees. Only if they are assured of a future away from their persecutors can they be expected to help with information and evidence in criminal prosecution. Yet EU governments including the UK are balking at a proposal to allow short-stay visas for this purpose. If they insist on their rapid deportation as illegal immigrants, this just returns victims to the same cycle of exploitation and loses any chance of locking up the traffickers.