|TOP|The United Reformed Church has issued a response to the government’s action plan against human trafficking in which it stresses the importance of caring for victims and the expansion of care schemes to support and protect vulnerable women.

The Home Office has consulted on how to reduce the demand for sex trafficking as well as whether to expand care schemes such as the Poppy Project operated by Eaves Housing for Women since 2003.

On the behalf of URC, Church and Society submitted a response to the government’s document, Tackling Human Trafficking – Consultation on Proposals for a UK Action Plan, published January.

In the report, the government recognises it must do more in the fight to end the sexual slavery of the estimated 1,420 girls and women estimated to be trafficked into Britain each year.

|AD|URC urges the government to ensure care for victims who, it warns, may need much longer than three months in a safe place before they can even begin to talk about their ordeal.

Church and Society secretary Stuart Dew reiterated the call of the URC response, which urges that far more places were needed like the Poppy Project, which provides safe accommodation for trafficked women in the UK.

The response also warned that the re-integration of victims into their home community may be impossible in practice due to complicated circumstances, including the possibility that the family may be harassed by traffickers or be angry that no money was sent home while away. There are also recorded cases of freed victims being returned home only to be trafficked again.

Mr Dew said a “vigorous campaign” was needed to raise awareness of the plight of trafficked women in order to encourage the ‘clients’ to relate the used women and girls to their own daughters, granddaughters and sisters.

The URC submission suggested that funding for the campaign could come from a tax on sex ‘toys’ and that demand may be reduced by legislating to prevent advertisements for sexual services.

Church and faith communities joined forces earlier in the month to protest the ‘sex camps’ being set up for the World Cup in Germany this year, warning that as many as 40,000 women and girls could be trafficked into the country to service the expected 3 million male fans.

The URC urged that churches which have traditionally strong links with many of the sending countries of the women had a role to play in raising awareness of the problem of trafficking through setting up greater cooperation with these churches.