SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Early day motion 1846, tabled 23 May 2011 by Mark Hendrick (Labour). Signed by 73 members.

That this House commemorates the first meeting of the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade, which took place on 22 May 1787; notes the invaluable work of members of the Society, in particular Thomas Clarkson, who were instrumental in raising the public's awareness of the inhumane practice of slavery; recognises the extraordinary work of the Society in campaigning to end the slave trade within the British Empire, which culminated in the Slave Trade Act 1807; further notes with regret that over two centuries since the Act was passed, at least 12 million people around the world remain enslaved today according to the United Nations' estimate; further notes that sexual exploitation and forced prostitution, bonded labour and domestic servitude are key features of contemporary slavery; further recognises that human trafficking is the modern version of the slave trade; and calls on the Government to use every tool at its disposal to fight the root causes of slavery and to prosecute those who participate in enslaving or trafficking vulnerable individuals into the UK.

Signatures by party: Labour 45, Liberal Democrat 15, DUP 5, Conservative 4, Alliance 1, Green 1, Scottish National Party 1, Social Democratic and Labour Party 1.