Hope for Justice welcomes the Prime Minister’s renewed commitment to tackle human trafficking as part of his speech at Interpol’s 92nd general assembly.
Addressing representatives from more than 190 countries, the PM celebrated the collective effort to respond to the threat of serious organised crime.
Euan Fraser, Hope for Justice’s Senior Policy and Research Advisor, said: “We are pleased to see that the UK Government is reinstating its commitment to tackle modern and human trafficking and championing this cause on an international stage.”
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer opens the Interpol general assembly. Photo, Interpol
Hope for Justice welcomes the PM’s promise never to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights. Keir Starmer reaffirmed that the UK Government is committed to greater security, humanity and a “profound respect for international law”.
We welcome this robust commitment to human rights and international law, which underpins Hope for Justice’s work to combat human trafficking.
Keir Starmer called for a global response to target human trafficking and people smuggling gangs. He urged attendees to “help make a decisive breakthrough against this vile trade in human life”.
Hope for Justice has previously written about the differences between these two crimes: human trafficking being a crime against an individual, whilst people smuggling is a crime against the state.
Whilst there was a clear focus on international trafficking within the PM’s speech because of the role of Interpol, it is important to note that there are other forms of human trafficking, such as internal trafficking within a country.
We agree with Keir Starmer’s position that there needs to be accountability and a focus on law enforcement, but Hope for Justice also urges the UK Government to consider the views of survivors of modern slavery and listen to their definition of justice, which should not be limited to law enforcement efforts. We recently consulted with several survivors of modern slavery over how to improve their access to justice. Their experiences are documented in our new report, ‘Beyond Survival: Living free, not in survival mode, and being able to dream again.’
One of the survivor consultant’s quotes reads: “People often think justice is when you’re free from your traffickers and taken to a safehouse and you’re safe, it ends there, and maybe your traffickers get caught by police. But a sense of justice is to be able to dream again, to be able to have aspirations, to work and be independent, to feel emotions again, to be connected with nature, and to have sense of purpose. Whilst having a safe space and stable accommodation is great, a real sense of justice is when you can hope again.”
During his speech, Keir Starmer publicly thanked those serving in police, in intelligence and in security services for protecting people against threats, including the gangs who are forcing vulnerable people into modern slavery or prostitution.
The PM pledged that the UK would invest £6 million this financial year in funding Interpol projects.
You can read the Prime Minister’s speech in full at this link: PM speech to the INTERPOL General Assembly: 4 November 2024 – GOV.UK
We look forward to working with the Government to achieve an effective and sustainable response to modern slavery.
