Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Trafficking victims ‘still waiting’ for politicians - Columnists - News Letter

Map of Northern Ireland.Image via WikipediaPublished on Tue Feb 01 16:08:59 GMT 2011
 
“THIS Assembly condemns human trafficking; notes with grave concern the growing prevalence of human trafficking exploitation in Northern Ireland; ... and calls on the minister of justice and the Executive ... to ensure that Northern Ireland is a hostile place for traffickers.”

Amnesty International, which campaigns globally for all victims of trafficking,
welcomes these words, from a recent Assembly debate. However, we still awaiting action.

Modern day slavery” and “an obscene criminal activity” is how trafficking was described by Detective Chief Superintendent Roy McComb, addressing the Public Accounts Committee last April. To date, the PSNI have recovered at least 20 individuals who Assistant Chief Constable Drew Harris says they “suspect have been trafficked for the purposes of prostitution, domestic servitude or to work in some form of business”.

A debate in St Mary’s College, Belfast, on Thursday looks at how MLAs have fulfilled their responsibility to turn the tables on traffickers and provide victims with protection, support and a voice in the criminal justice system. Amnesty International is a member of the Anti Trafficking Monitoring Group, a coalition monitoring our Government’s compliance with the European Convention Against Trafficking, which was ratified in December 2008. In June 2010 we published a report which established that victims of trafficking in Northern Ireland were being failed. September’s debate in the Assembly acknowledged this. Politicians revealed that they are aware of the report’s recommendations.

Several MLAs even helpfully spelled them out- ‘the establishment of an all-Northern Ireland human-trafficking group; the establishment of a localised national referral mechanism in Northern Ireland; the development of documents in different languages to assist victims of trafficking; for the Public Prosecution Service in Northern Ireland; the establishment of information-sharing protocols across devolved and non-devolved departments.’
However, the lack of subsequent action has not been encouraging. While victims of trafficking here wait for words to be translated into meaningful actions, the administrations in Scotland and Wales have moved forward.

The Welsh Assembly Government is appointing an Anti-Human Trafficking Co-ordinator. This post will involve raising awareness, uncovering the extent of the issue, bringing traffickers to justice and organising practical training for professionals on identification and intervention.

The Equal Opportunities Committee of the Scottish Parliament recently conducted a robust inquiry. This held the justice minister to account and specifically addressed the issue of why there have been so few prosecutions.

Amnesty is not criticising politicians here for lack of action on the issue because we enjoy being critical.


Instead, they must be held to account because in ratifying the European Convention Against Trafficking, the UK Government and its agencies in Belfast entered into legally binding obligations. The Anti Trafficking Monitoring Group recommendations provide a road map for the way ahead. Politicians elsewhere in the UK know this and are acting accordingly. Politicians here have shown that they know the right thing to do. The challenge now is to see just deeds match their words.

The debate at St Mary’s College, Belfast, is scheduled for 4.30pm on Thursday (February 3) and is open to the public.

Source:newsletter.co.uk 
Trafficking victims ‘still waiting’ for politicians - Columnists - News Letter
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