‘Human traffickers escape UK justice’

Too many human traffickers escape justice in Britain, a lawyer warns.

According to the solicitor general, Oliver Heald QC, over 1,180 trafficking victims were identified in the country last year while only 39 people were prosecuted for the offences.

“Victims are primarily women and girls who are exploited in the sex industry and domestic servitude, not always here in the UK but sometimes pass through en-route to the sex trade in Europe,” he said at a meeting of the social and economic thinktank Politeia.

Earlier in March, a study by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) revealed Britain™s efforts to tackle slavery and human trafficking have resulted in failure.

The research showed that not enough is being done to address thousands of adults and children who are victims of modern slavery across the UK.

The UK’s biggest children’s charity Barnardo’s also warned in January that the number of sexually exploited children in Britain, who have been trafficked within the country, is increasing.

MOS/SSM/HE