The UK's response to human trafficking: Fit for purpose?
Article
In recent years, there has been a growing concern about a potential link between major sporting events and an increase in human trafficking for the purposes of forced labour and prostitution. At the very least, it is clear that events like the Olympics provide an opportunity for host countries to reassess their anti-trafficking strategies.
The aims of this short briefing paper are threefold:
- to provide a short overview of the available evidence about the scale of human trafficking in the UK
- to review the general UK policy response to trafficking and the more specific measures designed for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
- to examine areas within the current UK strategy that could be improved, with reference to international good practice.
Quantifying the scale of trafficking to the UK is a significant challenge: estimates of the number of people trafficked to the UK have varied widely, from a few hundreds to tens of thousands.
The UK's response to trafficking has developed rapidly, and policy has come a long way from the days of ad hoc police raids and support solely through charitable-funded voluntary sector agencies. Now the UK has, in the UKHTC, a dedicated agency tasked with coordinating the British response. However, the UK continues to face significant challenges in responding to trafficking and its approach still falls short of international best practice.
There are four key challenges facing the UK:
- identifying victims
- balancing immigration management and victim protection
- oversight and scrutiny
- addressing demand for trafficking and exploitation.
Related items
Dr Parth Patel on BBC Politics Live - July 2024
IPPR's Dr Parth Patel on BBC Politics Live discussing the new Labour government, Covid, migration and international affairsA ‘mandate’ to deliver: Who voted Labour and what do they want?
This year’s general election saw the Labour party achieve a historic landslide, winning 218 new seats and a comfortable majority in the House of Commons.Half of us: Turnout patterns at the 2024 general election
One-half of adults in this country voted at the 2024 general election, the lowest share of the population to vote since universal suffrage.