The women's minister and leader of the Commons said tackling violence against
women and improving the way female criminals are treated would be among her
priorities, and she singled out the "modern-day slave trade".
Reading out adverts from a local paper which promised "new Polish girls ...
Romanian ladies ... beautiful girls daily, all nationals", Ms Harman warned:
"Britain is a major focus for the global trade of sexual exploitation of women
by traffickers who trick or abduct young women and force them into
prostitution. We need a consensus on how we should be dealing with the demand
side - the fathers, brothers and husbands reading these words and fuelling ...
global exploitation."
According to the government, 85% of women in brothels now come from outside the
UK, while 10 years ago, 85% were British. But although about 30 men have been
prosecuted for trafficking women into Britain to work as prostitutes, no men
have yet been prosecuted for paying for sex with women or girls forced into the
sex trade.
The former minister Denis MacShane warned recently: "The police and CPS have
been woefully inadequate in dealing with the men who create the demand for sex
slaves by being willing to pay for sex with trafficked women."
Campaigners hope that the influence of home secretary Jacqui Smith, attorney
general Lady Scotland and solicitor general Vera Baird will help the
government's drive to tackle violence against women. Rape conviction rates are
below 6% and two women a week still die at the hands of partners or
ex-partners.
Ms Harman will also focus on supporting families caring for older relatives, as
well as children, and on empowering black and Asian women, in part by helping
them to become councillors and MPs.
But Theresa May, the shadow women's minister, said she was "disappointed at the
lack of ambition" in Ms Harman's statement, arguing that most of the specific
proposals were already in place.
She added: "These are laudable aims and when she does come up with new policies
we will support her."
The government is already reviewing the support offered to carers and
considering Lady Corston's report on women in the criminal justice system,
which looked at how better support could be offered to women who had offended
or were at risk of offending.
The Guardian
