The Guardian UK
Brown pledges to investigate trafficking of children through Heathrow care home
written by Robert Booth
Brown pledges to investigate trafficking of children through Heathrow care home
written by Robert Booth
Wednesday 6 May 2009 14.25 BST
Gordon Brown today pledged to investigate the trafficking of Chinese children through a local authority children's home beside Heathrow airport, exposed in the Guardian.
Speaking at prime minister's questions, Brown told the House of Commons the trade was "completely unacceptable and inhumane" and said he would work with the home secretary to investigate and "do everything we can to protect these children".
He statement came in response to a question from John McDonnell, the Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington, which includes Heathrow.
McDonell asked Brown to secure a report to Commons on the measures the government is taking with the local authority to tackle the problem.
Brown told the House: "Child trafficking is completely unacceptable and inhumane, and anything we can do to stop child trafficking, we will.
"I will investigate, with the home secretary, the reports that are in the newspapers this morning.
"We will do everything we can to protect these children, and we are leading internationally in asking other countries to help us ban the practice of trafficking children."
The prime minister's statement came after the Guardian published details from a secret intelligence report from the Border and Immigration Agency, which revealed that at least 77 Chinese children had gone missing from the 59-bed home since March 2006.
The building houses foreign children who arrive alone at Heathrow without papers.
According to the report, the trade appears to be controlled by organised criminal gangs.
The document suggested that the home has been used for the systematic trafficking of Chinese children to work in prostitution and the drugs trade across Britain, with criminal networks effectively using it as a clearing house for teenagers they want to bring in from China.
Brown's intervention came as a major boost for campaigners against child trafficking in the UK, who have failed to win political backing for greater resources to be made available for police operations to track down the traffickers.
They have also called for more robust standards of care to prevent vulnerable children from going missing.
"For too long, the problem of trafficked children going missing from care has been a low priority for this government," Christine Beddoe, the chief executive of Ecpat (UK), said.
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Gordon Brown today pledged to investigate the trafficking of Chinese children through a local authority children's home beside Heathrow airport, exposed in the Guardian.
Speaking at prime minister's questions, Brown told the House of Commons the trade was "completely unacceptable and inhumane" and said he would work with the home secretary to investigate and "do everything we can to protect these children".
He statement came in response to a question from John McDonnell, the Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington, which includes Heathrow.
McDonell asked Brown to secure a report to Commons on the measures the government is taking with the local authority to tackle the problem.
Brown told the House: "Child trafficking is completely unacceptable and inhumane, and anything we can do to stop child trafficking, we will.
"I will investigate, with the home secretary, the reports that are in the newspapers this morning.
"We will do everything we can to protect these children, and we are leading internationally in asking other countries to help us ban the practice of trafficking children."
The prime minister's statement came after the Guardian published details from a secret intelligence report from the Border and Immigration Agency, which revealed that at least 77 Chinese children had gone missing from the 59-bed home since March 2006.
The building houses foreign children who arrive alone at Heathrow without papers.
According to the report, the trade appears to be controlled by organised criminal gangs.
The document suggested that the home has been used for the systematic trafficking of Chinese children to work in prostitution and the drugs trade across Britain, with criminal networks effectively using it as a clearing house for teenagers they want to bring in from China.
Brown's intervention came as a major boost for campaigners against child trafficking in the UK, who have failed to win political backing for greater resources to be made available for police operations to track down the traffickers.
They have also called for more robust standards of care to prevent vulnerable children from going missing.
"For too long, the problem of trafficked children going missing from care has been a low priority for this government," Christine Beddoe, the chief executive of Ecpat (UK), said.
Please click HERE to continue reading this article...
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