Sara Thornton and Baroness Butler-Sloss questioned on UK’s human trafficking response
Human Trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit. It is distinct from people smuggling, which is illegal or clandestine transportation of people across international borders with their consent. Modern Slavery is an umbrella term which encompasses human trafficking and slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour. Human trafficking can involve a range of criminal activity including sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, domestic servitude and organ harvesting.
Meeting details
In 2022, the UK National Referral Mechanism identified 16,938 potential victims of modern slavery, with the true number of victims likely to be much higher. Many victims of human trafficking identified by the NRM are UK nationals (25%), however human trafficking is often discussed in relation to immigration. In particular, Home Office Ministers have said the modern slavery system is being abused by some people who do not qualify for permission to stay and are trying to evade removal from the UK. In this opening session of the inquiry, the Home Affairs Committee will get an overview of the key issues relating to human trafficking in the UK.
This will include the impact of Government policy and legislation, how it prevents trafficking, protects victims and prosecutes perpetrators.