MP Outraged by Extent of People Trafficking

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 30th Jun 2003

Responding to publication today of UNICEF's report on the trafficking of young people into this country Annette Brooke, Liberal Democrat MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole, said,

"I am deeply appalled and shocked by the extent of people trafficking into the UK highlighted by UNICEF's report."

"My congratulations go out to UNICEF UK who have raised the profile of international organised people trafficking. Only by focusing on the tragic cases of teenage girls being sold to such criminal gangs for slave labour or sexual exploitation, will the practice be identified and stopped."

UNICEF, and other children's charities, are keen to increase the penalties for people caught trafficking young women into Britain for prostitution, and are pressing for better training of immigration officials at points of entry to identify young women at risk.

Currently there is no legislation in place against general people trafficking, for example for private fostering or domestic labour. Charities are very anxious to plug the hole in the law, as the extent of organised people trafficking by international criminals increases massively across Britain.

In May this year, Annette Brooke visited the extremely poor former Soviet Republic of Moldova with UNICEF UK where the trafficking of young women into the sex industries of Western Europe is rife. This visit was organised by UNICEF UK to give an insight into the problem and to highlight the seriousness of the criminal gangs operating.

Mrs. Brooke, who is on the Lib Dem Home Affairs team, will represent the party on the Committee stage of the Sexual Offences Bill in September.