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Has anyone spotted the pattern yet ? Why won't the NuLabour Home Office state officially exactly what the "issues" are that they are preventing them from signing and ratifying the Council of Europe Convention on action against Human Trafficking ?

The Written Answers to Parliamentary Questions posed by Members of Parliament seem to be just as misleading as usual. None of the activities which the Government claims it is engaged in to tackle the problem of the sex slave / illegal worker slave trade would be contradicted by signing this Convention.

What NuLabour seem to be intent on, is to continue to refuse to treat sex slave or other exploited people as victims first, who need compassionate treatment rather than simply as criminals, These people get trapped in the Kafakaesque bureaucracy that the Home Office inflicts on them, especially with regard to granting them a temporary visa or to providing accomodation and support for them away from where they have been forced to work as slaves.

This bureaucratic callousness and indifference to human suffering here in the United Kingdom, not in far off Africa or elsewhere, seems to be at the heart of these so called "issues", and makes a mockery of the platitudes that they are spinning about making the issue of Human Trafficing a priority at the G8 summit or during the UK's presidency of the European Union.

You cannot "fully support the aims of the Convention" without signing and ratifying it !

House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 20 Jun 2005 (pt 28)

"Written answers Tuesday, 14 June 2005

Home Department
Trafficking in Human Beings

Jeffrey M Donaldson (Lagan Valley, DU) Hansard source

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to ratify the Warsaw Convention on trafficking in human beings.

Paul Goggins (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Home Office) Hansard source (holding answer 13 June 2005)

The UK has not yet taken a decision on whether or not to sign the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, which opened for signature in Warsaw in May. There are certain provisions in the Convention which present concerns for the UK and which remain under active consideration. We want to resolve these issues before taking a decision on signature. We support fully all of the aims of the Convention and we too want to see widespread action to tackle this abhorrent trade at source, to protect and support the victims and bring those responsible to justice."

Seems remarkably similar to the previous week's lack of progress on this issue:

"Written answers Tuesday, 7 June 2005

When will Paul Goggans and NuLabour be shamed into actually signing and ratifying this Convention ?

Or will this take even more allegations of African children being smuggled and traded and abused in London as "human sacrifices" ?

The ongoing scandal of NuLabour's bureaucratic treatment of the victims of the sex slave trade has not been clarified by the following.
Hous of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 7 June 2005 (pt 16)

"Convention on Human Trafficking

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason the UK has not ratified the Convention on Human Trafficking; and what discussions he has had with non-governmental organisations on the decision not to ratify that Convention. [117]

Paul Goggins [holding answer 24 May 2005]: The UK has not yet taken a decision on whether to sign the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Human Trafficking. There are certain provisions in the Convention which present concerns for the UK and which remain under active consideration. We want to

7 Jun 2005 : Column 504W

resolve these issues before taking a decision on signature. We support fully all of the aims of the Convention and we too want to see widespread action to tackle this abhorrent trade at source, to protect and support the victims and bring those responsible to justice. Ministers and officials are in contact with non-governmental organisations about the Convention. The Convention was discussed during a round table meeting on trafficking held in October and further dialogue on the Convention has taken place since."

What exactly are thes "certain issues", and why is there no public or Parliamentary debate on them ?

Are these "issues" to do with treating sex slave trade victims as illgal immigrants and criminals first, and victims second, as previously briefed anonymously to the media ?

Why were they not resolved months and years ago ?

What have the NuLabour politicians and Home Office got to hide ?

Written answers, Monday, 23 May 2005, Home Department, People Trafficking

"Sandra Gidley (Romsey, LDem)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on Government action to counter people trafficking.

Paul Goggins (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Home Office)

The Government have a comprehensive strategy for tackling trafficking in human beings which includes prevention, legislation, law enforcement, international co-operation and the support of victims. Human trafficking will be a priority during our EU presidency and is on the agenda for the G8 summit. The Government provide £20 million per year to Reflex, the multi-agency task force which co-ordinates the enforcement response to organised immigration crime, including people"

How can NuLabour pretend to be leading the EU and the G8 on "human trafficing" (the sex and slave labour trade), when the UK Government has not signed or ratified the Council of Europe Convention on action against trafficking in human beings ?

The NuLabour Home Office seems to be spinning anonymously again, with an extraordinary claim about the Council of Europe Convention on action against trafficking in human beings, which John Prescott failed to sign on behalf of the United Kingdom at the COE Summit in Warsaw this week.

Apparently, according to this politics.co.uk report:

"A Home Office spokesman expressed support for the aims of the convention, but warned: "There are certain provisions which present difficulties for the UK and which remain under active consideration. The Convention contains measures which we believe may actively encourage people traffickers and may place more vulnerable victims at risk. We want to resolve these issues before taking a decision on signature."

The claim that this international convention, which seeks to give a few minimum rights to the victims of the sex slave trade, is somehow likely to actively encourage this evil trade is astonishing, and it must be justified by a public statement from a Home Office Minister, in detail.

What does it take for the "Westminster village" of both NuLabour and weedy Opposition politicians and journalists to wake up and take notice of this issue, which is happening under their noses right here in the United Kingdom ?

Thanks again to Blairwatch for bringing this to our attention.