Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the number of (a) women and (b) girls from Eastern Europe who were trafficked to the UK and subsequently (i) compelled and (ii) forced to commit criminal acts in each of the last five years.
Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
We do not routinely collect the required data to estimate the number of women and girls from Eastern Europe who were trafficked to the UK and were subsequently compelled or forced to commit criminal acts.
In 2022, 479 females were referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) who reported criminal exploitation, either partly or wholly.
For adult victims of modern slavery who enter the NRM, the Home Office funds the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC), contracted to spend £379 million over 5 years, to provide specialist support through the provision of safehouse accommodation, support-worker contact and financial assistance.
In addition, between 2016 and March 2023, the Home Office has spent over £37 million through the Modern Slavery Fund to combat modern slavery overseas and reduce the threat of human trafficking to the UK.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Lord Benyon on 30 November (HL Deb cols 1172–1174), what discussions they have held with the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and what support they have provided to that government to ensure that children are not incarcerated, penalised, or physically harmed solely for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of their exploitation in child labour.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We note the continued prevalence of child labour in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and are committed to eradicating all forms of modern slavery, forced labour and human trafficking in line with achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goal 8.7 by 2030. We regularly raise the issue of child labour in DRC both with the DRC government, and through multi-lateral fora such as the Human Rights Council. In addition, the Home Office is funding work through the Modern Slavery Innovation Fund with the objective of strengthening partnerships to prevent and remedy forced labour in supply chains from DRC. Through such partnerships, we are committed to ensuring that children are not penalised any further for their unlawful exploitation. The UK government is committed to the principles laid out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and is dedicated to providing the best possible opportunities for all children, but especially those who have had the hardest start in life.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to make it an offence to (a) enable and (b) profit from the commercial sexual exploitation of another person.
Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
Tackling all forms of sexual exploitation remains a top priority for this Government.
The acts of buying and selling sex are not in themselves illegal in England and Wales and we have no plans to change the law in this area. However, the Government’s focus is on tackling the harm and exploitation that can be associated with prostitution and sex work.
There are already offences in place to tackle illegal activities that can be associated with prostitution, including sections 52 and 53 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, which cover offences of causing or inciting prostitution for gain and controlling prostitution for gain. Sexual exploitation related to human trafficking is an offence under section 2 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. The Modern Slavery Act 2015 also gives law enforcement agencies and courts the tools, such as Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Orders and Slavery and Trafficking Risk Orders, to take action against offenders and prevent future offending.
The new Online Safety Act 2023 includes these crimes as priority offences. Online companies, including adult services websites (ASWs), will have a duty to prevent illegal content relating to sexual exploitation appearing on their sites.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to discourage demand for trafficking for sexual exploitation.
Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
Tackling all forms of sexual exploitation remains a top priority for this Government.
The acts of buying and selling sex are not in themselves illegal in England and Wales and we have no plans to change the law in this area. However, the Government’s focus is on tackling the harm and exploitation that can be associated with prostitution and sex work.
There are already offences in place to tackle illegal activities that can be associated with prostitution, including sections 52 and 53 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, which cover offences of causing or inciting prostitution for gain and controlling prostitution for gain. Sexual exploitation related to human trafficking is an offence under section 2 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. The Modern Slavery Act 2015 also gives law enforcement agencies and courts the tools, such as Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Orders and Slavery and Trafficking Risk Orders, to take action against offenders and prevent future offending.
The new Online Safety Act 2023 includes these crimes as priority offences. Online companies, including adult services websites (ASWs), will have a duty to prevent illegal content relating to sexual exploitation appearing on their sites.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help women who have experienced adult sexual exploitation.
Answered by Sarah Dines
The Government is fully committed to protecting victims from, and tackling, the devastating harm associated with adult sexual exploitation.
Adult sexual exploitation can occur across a spectrum of offending, from intimate partner violence, including domestic abuse and rape and sexual violence to serious and organised crime, including human trafficking. These offences are covered under a range of legislation.
Due to the complex nature of adult sexual exploitation, victims can access tailored support across different services depending on the harm they have experienced.
The Home Office is providing £1.36 million over three years to Changing Lives for their Net-Reach project, providing early intervention and targeted support for women and girls at high-risk of commercial online exploitation and the risk on online sexual harm. We are also providing over £180,000 in 2023/24 to Trevi Women to provide support to women with complex and multiple needs, including women seeking to exit on-street prostitution in Plymouth.
The Government funded Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract also provides victims of modern slavery access to safehouse accommodation and a dedicated support worker who provides information on their rights and facilitates access to wider statutory support services, specifically related to the victim’s experience – this can be gender specific, such as assistance with accessing sexual health services as a result of sexual exploitation.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will review the remit of the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner.
Answered by Sarah Dines
The remit of the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner (IASC) is set out in the 2015 Modern Slavery Act. In line with what is detailed in the Act, the role of the IASC will be to encourage good practice in:
We look forward to working with IASC, who I am confident will set out their priorities in due course.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made provision to support migrants already in the UK who are unable to afford the forthcoming increase in visa fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
Where a person applying on a family and human rights immigration route is unable to afford the visa fee and/or the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), they are able to submit a Fee Waiver application to request that the Fee and/or IHS is waived. Where this is backed by clear and compelling evidence provided by the individual, the fees may be waived if the applicant cannot afford them.
Exemptions from visa fees and the IHS are also in place for certain vulnerable cohorts, including asylum seekers, looked after children and Victims of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when will appoint the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner.
Answered by Sarah Dines
The role of the Anti-Slavery Commissioner (IASC) as set out in the 2015 Modern Slavery Act is to encourage good practice in the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of slavery and human trafficking offences and the identification of victims.
The Home Secretary recognises the importance of the IASC and had launched a new open competition to recruit for this role on the 23 February 2023, the process for which is now at an advanced stage.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the prevalence of child labour in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, especially in the cobalt mining industry.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to monitor reports of modern slavery within the mining sector of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), especially in cobalt mining. The artisanal mining sector is particularly vulnerable to modern slavery and human rights abuses, with regular reports of the worst forms of child labour (WFCL). The UK Government remains committed to eradicating all forms of modern slavery, forced labour and human trafficking in line with achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goal 8.7 by 2030. In September 2023, the UK funded the participation of survivors of modern slavery in workshops developing the DRC's Country Roadmap towards achieving Goal 8.7. The UK has supported efforts to end the worst forms of child labour in countries such as the DRC, Ethiopia and Central African Republic through the Partnership Against Child Exploitation (PACE) programme.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent and protect against human trafficking and exploitation of vulnerable people in the short-term lettings and stays sector.
Answered by Sarah Dines
The Government is committed to tackling the heinous crime of modern slavery. We are identifying more victims of modern slavery and doing more to bring perpetrators to justice than ever before.
We have also introduced several initiatives aimed at preventing human trafficking and exploitation, these include:
Supporting the police to tackle modern slavery, including dedicated funding totalling £17.8 million since 2016. This funding has supported the Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration Crime Unit, run by Devon and Cornwall Police, to increase police awareness and ability to tackle modern slavery across England and Wales.
Introducing training interventions for frontline services that might encounter victims of modern slavery, making sure operational colleagues such as Border Force can recognise the signs of modern slavery and are equipped to step in.
Between 2016 and March 2023, the Home Office spent over £37m through the Modern Slavery Fund, which has a strong focus on upstream prevention.
The government has not assessed the prevalence of exploitation of workers in the short-term holiday and short-term stays sector.