U.S. Department of State 2005 Trafficking in Persons Report - United Kingdom

United Kingdom (Tier 1)

The United Kingdom is primarily a country of destination for trafficked women, children, and men from Eastern Europe, East Asia, and West Africa. Women are trafficked primarily for the purposes of sexual exploitation and involuntary domestic servitude, while men are trafficked for the purpose of forced labor in agriculture and sweatshop industries. The United Kingdom may also play a role as a transit country for foreign victims trafficked to other Western European countries.

The Government of the United Kingdom fully complies with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. The United Kingdom handed down significant anti-trafficking prosecutions and sentences during 2004. The first prosecution under recent legislation that specifically criminalized trafficking for sexual exploitation resulted in a sentence of 18 years for the main offender. The parliament enacted new legislation to criminalize labor trafficking. The government continued to fund assistance to adult victims; however, its inability to accommodate the number of victim referrals was problematic. The government should prioritize establishment of a more stable mechanism to regularize victims' status to ensure consistent delivery of services and protection. Moreover, differentiation of trafficking and smuggling statistics is recommended to better gauge year-to-year improvements.

Prosecution

In July 2004, the Government of the United Kingdom enacted legislation to criminalize human trafficking for exploitation, including labor exploitation. This law, taken together with the Sexual Offenses Act of 2003, strengthens and broadens the coverage of the United Kingdom's anti-trafficking laws. To underscore the seriousness of trafficking crimes, the Crown Prosecution Service successfully sought heavy penalties in cases of both sexual exploitation and forced labor. In 2004, the government reported 60 law enforcement operations resulting in 572 arrests and 66 convictions. Prosecution and conviction data from 2003 showed 340 prosecutions and 98 convictions. Both sets of data, however, include both alien smuggling and human trafficking. In 2004, the government launched a trafficking prosecution toolkit, which now serves as a compilation of U.K. laws that can be used to prosecute traffickers and seize their assets. During 2004, the government continued to engage in and support a number of bilateral and multilateral anti-trafficking efforts.

Protection

In 2004, a newly established shelter for child trafficking victims was closed after only two months because it received no referrals. The government continued to fund and evaluate a specialized project that provided space in shelters for adult trafficking victims. However, the project only supports 25 victims at a time and, as a result, could not accommodate all incoming referrals. Victims' lack of status reduced the effectiveness of victim protection efforts. NGOs indicated the problem resulted from the government's inability to provide long-term residency status for victims. As a result, victims are forced to apply to remain as asylees – a long process that may ultimately not be successful for many victims. Furthermore, while applying for asylum status, victims cannot work. A governmental review of the victim care situation continued late in the reporting period. Some victims continued to receive assistance from other social service agencies; NGOs advocated the need to better track child victims in care of Social Services.

Prevention

In 2004, the government took important steps to improve the collection of comprehensive trafficking statistics by consolidating regional and national level data. The government continued to provide specialized programs to police, social services, and other government communities via the revised and updated anti-trafficking toolkit on the Home Office website. Police and immigration authorities continued to screen passengers at Heathrow Airport to systematically identify children entering the U.K. who may be at risk. In early 2005, the Solicitor General initiated a new focus to target men who solicit sexual services of trafficked women, but it is too early to detect whether this has had an effect in preventing trafficking.