David Martin's EU Tribune

According to Trafficking Monitor http://trafficking-monitor.blogspot.com/2010/09/archbishop-of-york-condemns-uk-opt-out.html the Archbishop of York, no friend of European Union (EU) Directives, has come out against the inexplicable and unjustifiable decision of the UK Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition government decision not to join our partners in the EU in extending the legislation designed to combat trafficking for sexual exploitation.

The EU Directive includes a common definition on the crime of trafficking and makes it easier to convict offenders in the EU’s 27 member states. It also boosts the rights of victims.

The UK Government position has also been condemned by the charity Anti-Slavery International who say co-ordinated EU action is essential because many of the victims come from Eastern Europe and beyond.

The UK Governments position is exactly the wrong message to send to pimps and traffickers.

It has been estimated that criminal gangs have forced an estimated 2,600 foreign women into prostitution in England and Wales, where only five people this year have been convicted for human trafficking for sexual exploitation in the first six months of this year.

Here in Scotland there have been no convictions for human trafficking offences in 2009 and none so far in 2010, even although Glasgow has the highest number of sex workers outside London. It is estimated that 50% of Glasgow’s sex workers are from overseas.

With Glasgow hosting the 2014 Commonwealth Games sex trafficking into Scotland is likely to increase. It is essential that we take a tough stance on human trafficking now to prevent the potential misery of thousands of women who will be trafficked into this country to satisfy the demand at the games.

That is why I am urging all my constituents who have Conservative or Liberal MPs to lobby their members of the UK Government to change their position.

As the Archbishop of York says the Con/Dem decision is ‘stunning’, ‘Our Government should be ensuring that Britain leads the way, as it did in the days of William Wilberforce,’ argues the Archbishop.