LONDON MEP Jean Lambert is to co-host a landmark conference with Green Party London Assembly Member Jenny Jones (recently appointed deputy mayor) to discuss the growing and urgent problem of the trafficking of women for sexual exploitation.
The conference, which will bring together representatives of the Government and police, European and London policy makers, and NGOs working with victims on the ground, takes place at the Greater London Assembly's City Hall HQ this Friday, June 20.
In Soho alone police estimate that 80% of the women working in the sex industry are from outside the UK. These women are enslaved by criminal gangs, who often use coercion and deception to bring them to London illegally.
The high profit, low risk nature of the crime is attracting organised criminals and the Metropolitan Police are certain that London is the principal target area for these groups. London desperately needs to address this issue as the police fear that if not checked in its infancy it will spill over onto London's streets causing immense crime and disorder problems.
DOWNLOAD THE CONFERENCE RECOMMENDATIONS TO GOVERNMENT
Mrs Lambert, London's Green MEP and a member of the European Parliament's Civil Liberties committee, said: "The Government must recognise that trafficked women are themselves victims of crime in need of protection and stop punishing them as though they are the criminals.
"By bringing together policy makers from the GLA, Government and EU and representatives of the police and NGOs that are working directly with victims on the ground, I hope Friday's conference will produce recommendations that will contribute towards a London strategy that finally offers these women the support they need."
Jenny Jones AM is also a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority where she has raised this issue as well as having accompanied the vice squad on a brothel raid to see firsthand how the victims of trafficking are treated by the police and Immigration Service.
She said: "Here in London we are allowing these women to be treated as sexual slaves. We need to look at what other cities across Europe are doing and why they are producing more convictions of the real criminals, the traffickers, then the UK.
"The government's policy on this issue needs to be looked at with new eyes and with victim justice in mind."
Other speakers include:
Assistant commissioner
Tarique Ghaffur - Metropolitan Police Service
Rob Coster - Dutch Police National
Co-coordinator on Trafficking
Denise Marshall - Director, EAVES Housing for
women
Patsy Sorenson MEP - EU specialist on Trafficking
Representatives
from across UK government
ENDS
Note to Editors
Journalists wishing to attend the conference should contact Ben or Nana on the numbers below for advance registration.
For more information please contact Ben Duncan on 020 7407
6280, 07973 823358 or at press@greenmeps.org.uk
or GLA Green Group press officer Nana Serwa Mancell on 020 7983 4964 or 07810
156886