Legislation on human trafficking to be strengthened

Justice Minister David Ford plans to introduce two new human trafficking offences in Northern Ireland.
~ Tuesday, 7 February 2012

The Minister told the Assembly that he intends to introduce the measures to meet the requirements of an EU Directive on Human Trafficking. The move would strengthen legislation by creating two new offences.

The proposed offences would:

• extend powers to prosecute United Kingdom nationals who commit human trafficking offences anywhere in the world; and
• create a specific offence to deal with those who traffick United Kingdom citizens within the United Kingdom.

The Minister said his priorities are to support victims, bring traffickers before the courts and raise public awareness of the issue.

David Ford said: “Since April 2011 the PSNI has identified 26 potential victims of human trafficking in Northern Ireland from a number of countries including Ghana, China, Slovakia and Zimbabwe.

“As I highlighted when I launched the Organised Crime Taskforce Strategy last week, I am committed to doing all I can to tackle this wicked crime. As part of that I am planning to bring forward new offences to strengthen legislation in this area.

“The new offences reflect the fact that human trafficking is a global problem. Under the proposals a United Kingdom national committing an offence abroad will be liable for prosecution here. In addition, it is important to tackle those who traffick within the United Kingdom. "

The Minister said that while the nature of human trafficking made it very difficult to quantify its true extent, the recovery of 26 potential victims since April 2011 shows that Northern Ireland clearly has an issue.

David Ford continued: “Northern Ireland society should not be ignorant of the fact that trafficking is going on in every part of our community. I therefore welcome the spotlight that is being shone on human trafficking, including today by the Assembly. Public awareness is vital if we are to tackle the problem. I would encourage anyone with any suspicions to contact the PSNI or Crimestoppers.”

Notes to editors:

1. The Department of Justice must make two changes to primary legislation to ensure that Northern Ireland fulfils the legislative requirements of the EU Directive on Trafficking in Human Beings. The Directive was ratified by the United Kingdom on 9 May 2011. There is little scope to vary the proposed changes but a consultation exercise will be held for information purposes and to canvass views on the broader issue of how the Department may engage more effectively with non governmental organisations.
2. All media enquiries should be directed to the Department of Justice Press Office on 028 9052 6444. Out of office hours please contact the duty press officer via pager number 07699 715440 and your call will be returned.