UK Sex Trafficking: Amnesty welcomes Birmingham police crackdown, but UK must do more to protect victims

"At the moment these Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights have no guaranteed protection in the UK. The law treats them as illegal immigrants and people in the UK would be appalled to know that many of them are just deported. They are then at serious risk of re-trafficking.

"There are actions we can take to give these Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights protection.

"The European Convention Against Trafficking guarantees emergency housing and medical care for victims and gives them a month to recover from the trauma and make some decisions about what they need to do next.

"Victims of trafficking have had all of their very basic human rights violated – we must turn the system around so that they are recognised as the victims and not the perpetrators of crime. The UK government must sign up to the new European Convention."

Four leading UK charities (Amnesty International, Anti-Slavery International, the National Federation of Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights's Institutes and UNICEF UK) are calling on the UK government to sign up to the new European Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings.

Although trafficking for sexual and labour exploitation are criminal offences in the UK, the government has failed to develop comprehensive measures to protect and support people who have been trafficked into the country.

Signing up to the European Convention will help guarantee this vital protection.

Home Office research estimated that up to 1,420 Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights were trafficked into the UK for sexual exploitation in 2000 (1). Trafficked Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights and girls, from countries including Moldova, Romania, Albania, Thailand and Nigeria have been forced to work as prostitutes in London (2). Victims of trafficking are tricked or violently coerced into leaving their homes.

Maria, a Ukrainian woman, left her country to work in Italy to raise money for her daughter’s education. When her visa ran out she met a man in Italy who said that he could arrange work for her in the UK. She entered the UK with him, but once she arrived here she was beaten, raped and forced into prostitution. She was sold three times while in the UK and was made to work in various parts of London.

The new European Convention Against Trafficking guarantees trafficked people:

• a breathing period (‘reflection period’) of at least 30 days during which they can receive support to aid their recovery, including safe housing and emergency medical support
• temporary residence permits for trafficked people who may be in danger if they return to their country, and/or if it is necessary to assist criminal proceedings

Currently the only support that exists in the UK is available only to Women's rights's rightss rights's rights's rights's rights trafficked into prostitution and prostituted in the UK.

The Home Office funds the London-based Poppy Project, but only for 25 places, with access provided under narrow criteria and dependent on the woman's agreeing to co-operate in an investigation or prosecution; demand for spaces exceeds supply. There is still no safe house for Children's rights that have been trafficked.

For more information and advice on how to write to your MP asking the UK Government to sign up to the European Convention visit:...