U.S. Department of State 2004 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. While women and girls are trafficked primarily for the purposes of sexual exploitation and domestic servitude, men and boys are trafficked into agriculture and sweatshop industries. The United Kingdom may also play a role as a transit country to other Western European countries.

The Government of the United Kingdom fully complies with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. New legislation to criminalize labor trafficking is moving through Parliament. Final regulations that would allow specific enforcement of new legislation outlawing sexual trafficking were still pending as of March 2004. The government instituted thoughtful prevention measures, but did not clearly distinguish between trafficking and smuggling. The government should differentiate trafficking from immigration crime and implement new sentencing guidelines to complement its pending anti-trafficking legislation.

Prosecution

The Home Office announced significant increased funding for its transnational crime investigative unit, Task Force Reflex. The Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 prohibited trafficking for the purposes of prostitution, with penalties of up to 15 years' imprisonment. The Sexual Offenses Act of 2003, once implemented, would increase possible penalties to life imprisonment for trafficking for sexual exploitation. Trafficking penalties would then be commensurate with rape and subject to extra-territorial jurisdiction. Trafficking for labor exploitation was in a separate bill still under consideration in Parliament. Statistics on trafficking prosecutions under the above laws were not available, but two special investigative units – Task Force Reflex and Operation Maxim – reported over 200 arrests for organized prostitution and immigration-related crimes, leading to 28 convictions, including one in which the defendant was sentenced to 10 years in prison for trafficking-related offenses. The government established anti-trafficking projects with Bulgaria and Romania.

Protection

The government increased its victim referral and funding for an NGO-run shelter to $1.3 million. As some victims were assisted by other social service agencies, it was difficult to determine the total number of victims assisted. For example, one shelter for victims of sexual exploitation housed a total of 33 trafficking victims and offered outreach support to a further 14. Police most likely to encounter trafficking victims were trained to investigate trafficking cases and followed the victim referral protocols. The government continued to refine and improve its protocols, and government and NGO representatives collaborated on trafficking policies and cases in a national steering committee. Illustrating the immigration focus, immigration authorities generally accompanied police on raids in order to expedite removal of uncooperative victims. Responding to concerns over the placement of trafficked and other vulnerable children in centers where their security could not be guaranteed, the government began placing them with foster care providers.

Prevention

The United Kingdom provided law enforcement assistance to source and transit countries to prevent, detect and disrupt trafficking operations. For example, through "IMMPact 2," the government provided anti-trafficking training for law enforcement in Serbia and Montenegro. The government provided funds for trafficking prevention information campaigns in source countries. Police and Immigration authorities set up a screening effort at Heathrow airport to systematically identify children entering the U.K. who may be at risk. After an initial three-month collaborative monitoring and referral program to Social Services, police assigned a child protection officer full-time to Heathrow.