 |
| Home |
| Political News |
| Meet Your Local MP |
| Comment |
| Have Your Say |
| Campaigns |
| Theresa May |
| John Redwood |
| Martin Salter |
| Rob Wilson |
| Richard Benyon |
| Useful Links |
- AAT Courses
- Absolute Health and Safety Solutions Limited
- Business lead generation
- Customer testimonials
- Diamond drilling
- First page seo
- Information Drivers
- Kids in Berkshire
- LIVE answering service
- Mary Flavelle
- NRG Networks
- On this day in history
- Outbound telemarketing services
- Personal business coach
- Positive energy
- Promotional micro sites
- Sales force outsourcing
- Sales training consultancy
- Technical Concrete Cutting Limited
- Windsor Vehicle Leasing
|
Salter backs drive to protect victims of child trafficking
|
Martin Salter, MP for Reading West, has added his support to the campaign Thr3e Small Steps, which is timed to coincide with this year’s 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade.
This ECPAT UK and World Vision campaign seeks to challenge the UK Government on its failure to provide adequate care and protection for child victims of trafficking. At a parliamentary reception in February, Martin Salter put his signature to a life size foot print to indicate his support and commitment to taking ‘Thr3e small steps’ to end what is primarily being seen as modern-day slavery. “Although the UK Government recognizes that human trafficking is a major concern for the UK, trafficked children are not receiving the care and protection they deserve,” says World Vision’s Helen Young. “Currently the Government seems more interested in maintaining effective immigration control, regardless of the consequences for those, including children, who fall foul of the system.” “14 year old Yen* was sold by her mother to a stranger in rural Vietnam when she could no longer afford to take care of her. Yen was then trafficked to the UK. On arrival she was taken to a brothel and shown pornographic videos to groom her for a life of prostitution. "Luckily she managed to escape and after being on the streets for a while was taken to a police station. Despite being in obvious distress and with clear mental health concerns, no counseling or specialist support was provided and her asylum claim was refused.” “This is just one of countless stories of how current government policy is failing children in the UK” says ECPAT UK’s Director Christine Beddoe. “With no national mechanism for the identification and care of children who have been trafficked, most are simply ‘processed’ as unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.” Martin Salter said: “It is particularly important that in the year when we celebrate 200 years of the abolition of the slave trade that we do not turn our backs on what constitutes modern day slavery. What is even more worrying is that human trafficking is more often than not a trade in vulnerable children and young people. "That is why I fully support the ‘Thr3e Small Steps’ campaign which seeks to raise awareness, and bring an end to this horrendous practice, whilst ensuring that the necessary support is provided to those who are victims of trafficking.” He added: “We should be deeply alarmed that human and child trafficking is still happening in the 21st century and on such a large scale. I for one, will continue to lobby government so that this appalling trade in human beings is stopped.” There is also concern at the Government’s persistent refusal to remove its Reservation to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child on Immigration and Nationality which states that the UK will not be bound by the Convention in matters concerning children under immigration control and therefore accepts no responsibility for upholding their rights. The Thr3e Small Steps campaign is calling on the UK Government to: - Withdraw the UK reservation to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child on Immigration and Nationality in order to ensure that the right to protection of all children trafficked into the UK is guaranteed and upheld - Ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings since it stipulates the basic standards of victim protection - Appoint an independent national Child Trafficking Rapporteur responsible for annual reporting on national statistics, trends and emerging issues. Find out more at https://www.worldvision.org.uk/server.php?show=nav.987 07/03/07 |
|
Wordtracker |
|
|
