UK aid package to help stamp out human trafficking, child exploitation in Commonwealth

LONDON, Apr 18 (APP):A new aid package by the United Kingdom will help eradicate human trafficking and child exploitation in the Commonwealth as its more member countries have committed to take action to assist victims and bring perpetrators to justice.
The support, from the Department for International Development and the Home Office, would identify vulnerable people, mostly child labour, and strengthen law enforcement responses in a number of Commonwealth countries to crackdown on the horrific crime, a UK Government statement issued here Wednesday said.
According to the statement, the United Nations experts would determine where child labour was taking place, in what form, and map out where the greatest number of victims were.
“This work will show where we can help children the most and develop targeted plans to prevent and stop child labour, including in businesses and supply chains”, it added.
The experts would also focus on communities affected by conflict where there could be a higher risk of exploitation, such as Rohingya families in Bangladesh, who had already fled brutal violence and persecution.
The UK would also work in Commonwealth countries such as Sri Lanka and Malawi to build the capacity of police forces and prosecutors to root out human trafficking and rapidly increase the number of convictions to punish the perpetrators. “We will boost regional cooperation, train prosecutors, strengthen the protection of victims to encourage them to speak out and help to develop national policing strategies to break the business model of the traffickers,” the statement said..
The UK International Development Secretary, Penny Mordaunt, said his country and the Commonwealth were stepping up to fight one of the greatest injustices of the time – the trafficking and exploitation of vulnerable people by predators.
He said the UK aid was helping to stamp out the evil practices, by smashing the traffickers’ exploitative business model, helping to punish the perpetrators and supporting vulnerable people and victims – who are all too often women and children – to rebuild their lives so they do not fall back into a cycle of abuse.
The UK Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, said: “Human trafficking, forced labour and child exploitation are cruel and horrendous crimes that no one should suffer.”
The UK, he said, was leading the world in tackling that form of abuse through the ground-breaking Modern Slavery Act 2015, which ensured victims were identified and supported, and provided law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to bring perpetrators to justice.
“But this is a global problem which requires a global response, which is why all countries must unite to end this to make these brutal crimes a thing of the past,” he said. “The UK continues to work with our Commonwealth neighbours to strengthen their response to human trafficking and child exploitation.”
The funding announced today, he said, would play a vital role in helping the countries identify and support the most vulnerable people in their communities, while supporting law enforcement to bring offenders to justice.
At the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting being held in London, eight more countries joined the global Call to Action to end Forced Labour, Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, launched by the UK Prime Minister at the United Nations last year. Over 50 countries around the world have now endorsed the call to action, including more than a third of the Commonwealth.
Forced labour and trafficking affects an estimated 40 million people and thrives on desperation, discrimination and inequality in every country of the globe. Women and girls are particularly vulnerable and constitute 71 percent of all victims – such as in forced labour in the garment sector, exploitation and domestic servitude.
The UK’s work is enabling girls and women to make informed choices about their lives, including through access to skills and education.
Today’s package of support totals £5.5 million, delivered by the Home Office and DFID, which includes: £3 million to support Commonwealth governments to better identify, analyse and subsequently act upon instances of child labour through gathering information and building capacity to end the practice in Bangladesh, Pakistan and India.
“Our support will focus on areas affected by conflict where there could be a higher risk of modern slavery in global supply chains and communities like the Rohingya population in Bangladesh. Child labour is prevalent in areas like agriculture, the garment sector, fisheries and construction – raising the risk of products of child labour reaching the UK market,” the statement said.
£2 million is earmarked to strengthen law enforcement and justice systems in fighting human trafficking in India, Sri Lanka, Malawi and Zambia. This will develop and implement national policing strategies; raise criminal justice standards on trafficking, and boost the protection of victims.
£500,000 is allocated to support tough new legislation to prevent and tackle human trafficking and forced labour in nine Commonwealth countries, including Ghana, Nigeria, Pakistan, Uganda, Bangladesh, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, and Sri Lanka – and supporting the scrutiny and oversight of the response to human trafficking.