Slavery

My Lords, this has been a disturbing but very moving debate. I, too, am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Cox, for enabling us to discuss the horrors of contemporary slavery and our efforts to eradicate it at such a fitting time. I pay tribute to the noble Baroness for her tireless work on behalf of those who suffer injustice, exploitation and abuse of their human rights—people like James Aguer, whom I both thank and congratulate, and the young women who have run out of tears. Man’s inhumanity to man is profoundly depressing, but the Government are absolutely determined to further their efforts to eradicate contemporary slavery in this country and throughout the world. On 25 March 2007, we will mark the 200th anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act, passed by the British Parliament to abolish the slave trade in the then British Empire. As the noble Lord, Lord Thomas of Swynnerton, pointed out, it was one of the finest achievements of our Parliament. The passing of that Act marked a critical step for the UK and a crucial turning point in its history. It is of course right that the Government should commemorate this occasion through activities, both at home and overseas, throughout 2007. We must also recall the role of this House. Over the past year, the Deputy Prime Minister has chaired an informal advisory group of influential stakeholders to provide a sounding board for Ministers on the bicentenary. It includes representatives from Hull, Bristol and Liverpool, alongside those from cultural organisations, churches, faith groups and others. There will be both a commemorative and a contemporary slavery focus to 2007. A calendar of events will be published in January 2007 and will include a memorial service at Westminster Abbey on 27 March; the opening of a new International Slavery Museum in Liverpool on 23 August; the opening of an exhibition, Breaking the Chains, at the British Empire & Commonwealth Museum in Bristol in February; and an international conference in Hull in May organised by the excellent Wilberforce Institute for the study of Slavery and Emancipation—WISE. Parliament is also taking a key role in the planned events of 2007, with an exhibition entitled ““The British Slave Trade: Abolition, Parliament and People””, which will open on 23 May in Westminster Hall. The bicentenary is an opportunity for us all to remember the millions who suffered—people like Robert Wedderburn—and to pay tribute to the courage and moral conviction of all those who campaigned for abolition. But we must confront the tragic fact that contemporary forms of slavery persist throughout the modern world, two centuries after the argument for its abolition was won. I was asked whether DfID specifically allocates funds for the elimination of slavery. DfID links classification of its expenditure to the MDGs, not expenditure on particular groups. Therefore, at present it is not possible to identify the total amount that is contributed to the elimination of slavery. But poverty is clearly the underlying cause of slaveryand, to eradicate slavery, we need to tackle its root causes—namely, poverty and social exclusion. The Government continue to support long-term programmes to reduce poverty—for example, in their doubling of the aid budget since 1997. The 2005 International Labour Organisation’s global report estimated that 12.3 million people are forced into labour around the world. That is utterly shameful. This Government strongly condemn all forms of forced labour. The noble Earl, Lord Sandwich, asked whether we could provide more funds for the ILO’s special action programme on forced labour. We very much support the work of that programme. However, I do not know whether extra funds will be made available and Ishall ask my colleagues in the DWP and DfES. The Government are committed to tackling illegal migrant working in this country and its harmful social effects. I regret that I do not have information on the 1998 rule, but I shall seek it. We fully support the ILO’s work. We work closely with it to ensure that the international framework to combat abuses of workers’ rights is effective worldwide. We also provide substantial financial assistance. For example, with our support, the ILO has been working to eradicate forced labour in Burma. But as the noble Lord, Lord Avebury, rightly stressed, relations between the ILO and the Burmese Government are approaching breaking point. On17 November, the ILO governing body concluded that it should consider the possibility of seeking an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice and that this issue should be brought to the attention of the UN Security Council. We are supporting the US proposal for a UN Security Council resolution. Today in New York, the UN General Assembly will consider a resolution adopted by its Third Committee on the human rights situation in Burma. The resolution calls, among other things, on the Burmese Government urgently to resolve the issues identified by the ILO on compliance with international labour standards. It also expresses grave concern over rape and other forms of sexual violence carried out by members of the armed services, the continued recruitment and use of child soldiers and trafficking in persons. Around the world, millions of children suffer as victims of conflict, abuse, exploitation and neglect. The Government are determined to work to end abuses against this particularly vulnerable group. For example, we contributed £6.1 million to the ILO’s International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour, involving a number of linked interventions to raise awareness and prevent trafficking and bonded or exploitative labour. We have provided £29 million in humanitarian support to children in northern Uganda over the past 18 months, and we are looking ahead to the longer-term reconstruction needs of the north. DfID has recently agreed additional funding to UNICEF for child protection activities there, including specific support to help children reintegrate back into their communities. The provision of education to children in the IDP camps is problematic, but DfID and other donors recently funded a public expenditure review in northern Uganda specifically aimed at identifying the root causes of gaps in service provision and how resources could be more effectively used. We will discuss this report in detail with the Government of Uganda. The UNCRC Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography was signed in 2000, and it is intended that it will be ratified shortly. On Sudan, the appalling suffering of the Darfur people has gone on for too long. Continued attacks from both the Government of Sudan and the rebel movements are prolonging the terrible crisis. The UK remains at the forefront of efforts by the international community to help find a solution. The comprehensive peace agreement and interim national constitution require both the Government of Sudan and the Government of Southern Sudan to abide by various human rights principles, including combating slavery as well as protecting the rights of children and the right of all people to enjoy freedom from torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment,and freedom of religion. We continue to pressboth the Government of Sudan and the Government of Southern Sudan to fully implement the comprehensive peace agreement, and to do so more swiftly. We have provided significant financial assistance to this end. The Government are working to supportstates in addressing the complex challenges of debt bondage and caste discrimination. The modern-day phenomenon of human trafficking is perhaps the most vivid reminder of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. This appalling crime inflicts terrible and often lasting damage on its victims. The noble Lord, Lord Roberts of Llandudno, rightly raised the UK national action plan, which will provide a victim-centred approach along three broad themes: prevention, enforcement and assistance to victims. We expect the plan to be published early in the new year. The noble Lord, Lord Wedderburn, asked what we have learned from the Italian practice on trafficking. It will be taken into account in the national action plan, as will the child safeguarding measures requested by the noble Lord, Lord Avebury. I am unaware of plans for a UK rapporteur on trafficking, but we are working hard at an international level to protect the system of special procedures. The right reverend Prelate and many other noble Lords raised the Council of Europe convention against human trafficking. The Government are not refusing to sign this very important convention. A decision has not yet been taken, but I urge noble Lords to wait a little longer. I heard what all noble Lords have said about the importance of the convention and well understand that we are dealing with victims. We are not being complacent. We want to ensure that, if and when the convention is signed, we are able to adhere to all parts of it and do it in a proper way. While we have not yet signed up to the convention, we are implementing many of the criteria mentioned in it. The Government have funded the Poppy Programme, which was mentioned by the noble Lord, Lord McColl of Dulwich, since 2003. This year the Government entered into a funding agreement with the Eaves Housing project for women to provide£2.4 million over the next two years. There are currently 35 bed spaces, not 25, and the Poppy Project has an agreement with the National Asylum Support Service to move women who apply for asylum into suitable accommodation, which helps to free crisis bed spaces while ensuring that the women remain suitably supported. Capacity has been an issue in the past. The Poppy Project currently has spaces available although I am sure that those will soon be filled. Apart from Operation Pentameter, a number of independently funded organisations also set up projects to support trafficking victims. The Government are working with NGOs to develop minimum standards of service with the aim of creating a network of appropriate support services. The new UK Human Trafficking Centre will continue Operation Pentameter’s victim-centred approach to enforcement. There were many questions about changes to the immigration rules and about children visiting the UK. I think that I had better write to noble Lords with information on that. The Government regularly make representations to China on the issue of North Korean refugees and we will continue to do so. On Niger, we do not have an embassy in Niamey. We have not made bilateral representations to the Nigerian Government on slavery but we support EU representations to the Nigerian Government on human rights issues. In respect of Operation Pentameter, a new outreach service will go live in January which will help front-line staff in the identification and appropriate treatment of victims. As the Prime Minister wrote in his article published on 27 November: "““This bicentenary must be a spur for us to redouble our efforts to stop … all forms of modern slavery””." The Government are committed to doing so. During this debate we have heard many statistics that shame us and fire our passion. The noble Baroness, Lady Cox, reminded us that behind each statistic is a human being: a man, a woman or a child. Two hundred years after the passing of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act, it is our duty as a Government, as a society and as human beings to work for the eradication of contemporary slavery in all its forms. William Wilberforce was determined that he would never rest until he had effected the abolition of slavery. I wish noble Lords a restful Recess and a happy Christmas before we renew our efforts in 2007, backed by political will.