All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Commercial Sexual Exploitation: inquiry into trafficking for sexual exploitation (2019)
As a follow up to the Government commissioned review of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, the APPG launched its call for evidence on whether the legal framework of Great Britain (excluding Northern Ireland) “makes it a more attractive destination for those involved in trafficking adults for the purpose of sexual exploitation”.
The ECP’s evidence detailed how anti-trafficking laws are rarely used to protect victims and prosecute offenders, and instead are primarily used to target immigrant sex workers for raids and deportations. In order to tackle trafficking, the ECP highlights the need for a change in police priorities and for the decriminalisation of prostitution, so that women can report rape and other violence they experience or witness, including trafficking, without fear of arrest or deportation.