Party Conference: Poppy Project – supporting trafficked women and children

I’d like to pay tribute to Sir Anthony Steen MP who has dedicated so much time and effort to exposing the enslavement of women across Europe and in our country.

Supported by Denise Marshall MBE who founded the Poppy Project. Poppy has helped more than 1400 women rescued from forced prostitution over the last few years. Highlights from this meeting were:

• The government has withdrawn funding from the Metropolitan Police’s Human Trafficking Unit. There were only 8 officers, and it had been going for 12 months. Surely it should have been made to work. As Anthony Steen said, tragically there are no votes in this area, and that message must have reached ministers in the Home Office. I was tremendously encouraged to see Edward Garnier MP and shadow Attorney General at the meeting – that bodes well.
• Trafficking goes up in anticipation of heightened demand for commercial sex around sporting events. There are signs already that the Olympics in London will be a big market for the illegal trafficking of women from Eastern Europe and West Africa. But Tessa Jowell has said no, there is no evidence that this will be the case. If its not then it will be the first sporting event not to be such a catalyst. Jowell is burying her head in the sand.