23rd December 2006

At Christmas time the importance of a safe place to live  in contact with family and friends is particularly pertinent.

Gloucestershire's Chief Constable, Dr Tim Brain, has been at the forefront of highlighting human trafficking. I wonder if he is as outraged as the Green party, about the British Government’s attitude towards victims of trafficking.

Human trafficking is estimated to be the third largest illegal activity globally and far too little is being done to tackle this horrendous trade in human beings. The EU has launched an initiative including short term residents permits, designed with victims of trafficking in mind.

Sadly too few countries are acting so the EU Commission will now take action against those failing. Embarrassingly though this can not include the British Government as they have not even agreed to the initiative.

Our Government continues to see victims of trafficking as illegal immigrants, not victims of crime, and treat them as such. Until this attitude changes the pilot projects they are running that offer support to victims, while welcome, simply wont have the required impact. It is vital that we put serious efforts into ending the slave like conditions many victims of trafficking find themselves in.

Cllr Martin Whiteside, Thrupp, Stroud

Stroud District Green party