Greg Mulholland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to recognise child trafficking as a separate offence to adult trafficking.

Karen Bradley

The most effective way to protect child victims of trafficking is to have a
general offence, which applies to both adults and children. The Modern
Slavery Bill contains a general human trafficking offence, which does not
require prosecutors to prove the age of the child, as this can lead to practical
problems during prosecutions. Targeting a child will, however, be an
aggravating factor for sentencing purposes, and the human trafficking
offence in the Modern Slavery Bill will carry a maximum sentence of life
imprisonment.