MPs and Peers call for action on trafficking

A House of Lords/House of Commons Joint Committee on Human Rights has published a report calling for more to be done to tackle the problem of human trafficking for prostitution, described as "one of the most serious human rights issues in the modern world".

The report also demands that the UK government signs up to the European Convention on Human Trafficking \x96 which it has so far refused to do on the grounds that it might encourage illegal immigration by allowing victims of trafficking to stay in the UK whilst they receive medical and psychological support.

The Home Office will "look carefully" at the proposals.