Britain, Canada blasted in trafficking study
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MONTREAL Canada and the United Kingdom have been singled out in an international study for failing to meet their obligations for the protection of victims of human trafficking, while other developed countries received praise for their efforts. The study comes at a time when the U.K. Government is considering an overhaul of its policy in this area, and a new Conservative Government has taken power in Canada.
The 40-page study, entitled Falling Short of the Mark: An International Study on the Treatment of Human Trafficking Victims, was released today by The Future Group, a leading Canadian non-partisan, non-governmental organization founded in 2000 that specializes in combating human trafficking and has worked with victims in Southeast Asia and West Africa. The study evaluates Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States in meeting their obligations to protect victims under the U.N. Trafficking Protocol and international best practices. It can be downloaded at: www.thefuturegroup.org. Canada may have just had a gold-medal performance at the Olympics that it can be proud of, said Benjamin Perrin, Executive Director of The Future Group, but its abysmal record in dealing with victims of human trafficking is an international embarrassment. The study found that Canadas Interdepartmental Working Group on Trafficking in Persons (IWGTIP) which was created several years ago to develop a national strategy to combat human trafficking has failed to announce such a plan. Its only public accomplishments have been to produce a pamphlet, poster, and host a conference or two. The situation in Canada is so bad that individual law enforcement officers are reportedly approaching local hospitals and NGOs to cobble together funding to provide the most basic medical assistance for victims in major cities. I am delighted to endorse the report by The Future Group, said Gregory Carlin, Director of the Irish Anti-Trafficking Coalition, Governments should act by implementing their international obligations. Police officers should not have to collect money to fund basic prerequisites for the victims of trafficking. The study found that contrary to the practice in other developed countries, trafficking victims in the United Kingdom and Canada are dealt with on a case-by-case basis and are routinely deported. Only minimal support has been provided to victims in recent years, and only general laws exist for their protection during investigations. It also found there is no evidence that providing legal status to victims would result in abuses of the system. The United Kingdom has expressed concern that people would fraudulently claim to be trafficking victims if it could enable them to remain in the country, said Perrin, However, our research found there was no evidence to support this claim. It is time for the United Kingdom to comply with its international obligations for the protection of human trafficking victims. For more information, contact: Benjamin Perrin Executive Director The Future Group +1 (514) 845-2646 bperrin@thefuturegroup.org |