Getting tough on trafficking and prostitution

We are determined to crack down on prostitution and human trafficking in the run up to the London 2012 Games.A key part of ending violence against womenResearch shows that during past Olympic events, such as the Athens Olympics, there has been an upsurge in prostitution and as a result, an increase in human trafficking. This is why the Mayor made tackling and trafficking ahead of 2012 a key part of his strategy to end violence against women.Working together to tackle this problemOne of the ways we aim to tackle the problem is to work closely with the police, voluntary groups and a range of stakeholders. Criminal gangs who control prostitution in the capital often advertise their services using cards, containing mobile phone numbers, placed in phone boxes across central London. The Metropolitan Police are working in conjunction with the London media to ban the publication of sexual services advertisements in newspapers.’Nothing is more important to a pimp or trafficker than money. They don't give a damn about the women and girls they abuse, they only care about the cash in their pocket. So alongside the Met busting brothels and taking out the criminal networks that feed them, we want to cut their access to cash and punters starting by ridding London of prostitute cards in telephone boxes’.’In 2012 we want to be proud of our city as a glittering example to the world. But we need the mobile phone operators to show their commitment to fighting the abuse of women and help us’.Kit Malthouse, Deputy Mayor for Policing’I welcome the Mayor's plan to end violence against women and girls in London. Women and girls experience violence in a very different way from men. In the vast majority of cases they are targeted not because of what they have done, but because they are female. The trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and young girls is a particularly brutal form of sexual violence with many of the women and girls involved experiencing high levels of violence and repeated rape. It is very encouraging to see the Mayor and other stakeholders seeking strong action to put an end to trafficking in London ahead of the Olympic Games in 2012’.Ms. Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, UN Special Rapporteur on TraffickingImproving the policing response to human traffickingThe Met Police Human Exploitation and Organised Crime Unit was created in April 2010 to bring together the work of the former Met Human Trafficking Team and the Clubs and Vice Unit. The command has Londonwide responsibility for both reactive and proactive investigations targeting criminal networks in areas of trafficking and prostitution, extreme pornographic images and child pornography, as well as other crime associated with the night-time economy. The unit now provides the whole MPS region with 24/7 on-call support, and has created direct referral routes to and from support agencies to ensure that victims receive specialist support.In less than two years, it has become a centre of excellence in areas such as tackling human trafficking, prostitution and dealing with those that share indecent images of children.Anti-Slavery DayAboutThe UK’s Anti-Slavery Day was set up on 18 October 2010. It takes place every year on the same day and coincides with the European Anti-Trafficking Day.The day acknowledges the millions of people, particularly women and children, who continue to be victims of slavery, human trafficking and exploitation.Ex-MP and current chairman of the Human Trafficking Foundation, Anthony Steen championed a parliamentary bill to create the day in order to raise public awareness of this issue and to encourage society to be proactive in the fight against it.Visit the Anti-Slavery Day website to find out more: www.antislaveryday.org.ukThe role of the MayorThe Mayor made tackling trafficking and prostitution a key part of The Way Forward, his strategy to end violence against women and girls.He is determined to make London the safest biggest city in the world. This means cracking down on all criminal activity, including hidden crimes such as human trafficking.Law enforcement agencies and NGOs play a crucial role in ending human trafficking, but cannot end this heinous crime alone.  Everyone has a part to play in ending trafficking. This is why awareness-raising activities are so important.The Mayor is supporting a number of activities in London to mark Anti-Slavery Day and spur Londoners to take action against human trafficking.•    Find out more about Anti-Slavery Day events