Experts have condemned the government's forthcoming strategy against human trafficking, accusing it of being more concerned with immigration control than caring for slavery victims.
Former Tory MP Anthony Steen, chair of the Human Trafficking Foundation, said it was a matter of "regret" that the thrust of the coalition's review of its anti-trafficking strategy, published last month, seemed more focused on political concerns than helping victims.
Steen, who founded the all-party parliamentary group for human trafficking, said coalition claims of making the issue a "priority" did not reflect reality: "It should be about being hostile to traffickers, being compassionate and caring to victims, a human rights approach as opposed to an immigration issue."
The foundation cites planned changes to the domestic workers' visa, which they say threatens to put migrant domestic workers back into bonded labour and slavery in the UK, as indicative of official policy. Concerns are rising that UK border agency staff are encouraged to stress the immigration status of trafficked individuals instead of the crime against them. The Poppy Project charity points to a growth in attempted forced deportations of potential trafficking victims who had not exhausted all legal options in the UK. Part of the new policy review will concentrate on disrupting trafficking networks in "source" countries.
In one of Europe's principle hubs of trafficked men and women – the port of Odessa in southern Ukraine – charities have demanded more resources to combat traffickers.
A spokesman for Faith, Hope and Love, an Odessa-based group dedicated to tackling human slavery, said they would welcome outside assistance to help target the criminal syndicates and corrupt state officials that facilitate the export of women.
A Home Office spokesman rejected claims that policies to tackle trafficking clashed with immigration concerns, pointing to a series of recent raids on sex trafficking gangs by UKBA officials.
