The petition of residents of the constituency of Gower,
Declares that demand from the minority of men who pay for sex is driving the prostitution and sex trafficking trade, and this sexual exploitation is being facilitated by pimping websites that operate with impunity.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to outlaw pimping websites and paying for sex, and provide support, not sanctions, to victims of sexual exploitation.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Tonia Antoniazzi , Official Report, 26 November 2024; Vol. 757, c. 744.]
[P003020]
Petitions in the same terms were presented by the hon. Member for Washington and Gateshead South (Mrs Hodgson) [P003023]; the hon. Member for Lowestoft (Jess Asato) [P003024]; the hon. Member for Bathgate and Linlithgow (Kirsteen Sullivan) [P003025]; the hon. Member for Neath and Swansea East (Carolyn Harris) [P003026]; the hon. Member for West Lancashire (Ashley Dalton) [P003027]; and the hon. Member for Monmouthshire (Catherine Fookes) [P003028].
Observations from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Jess Phillips):
The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime. We know this crime disproportion-ately affects women and girls, and the violence they face is abhorrent. The demand for commercial sexual services fuels the exploitation of women who are forced or coerced into prostitution. The Government have set out an unprecedented mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and we will use all the levers available to us to deliver this.
The Government are clear that online platforms are a significant enabler of sexual exploitation and must be responsible and held accountable for content on their sites, including taking proactive steps to prevent their sites being used by criminals.
We are implementing the Online Safety Act 2023, which sets out priority offences, including sexual exploitation and human trafficking offences. Ofcom recently published its codes of practice about how online platforms should deal with illegal online content. Online platforms now have a duty to assess the risk of illegal harms on their services, with a deadline of 16 March 2025. Subject to the codes of practice completing the parliamentary process, from 17 March 2025 online platforms will need to take the safety measures set out in the codes of practice, use other effective measures to protect users from illegal content and activity or face significant penalties.
We are determined to safeguard victims and to bring the ruthless perpetrators of this crime to justice. The Government are working closely with law enforcement to tackle the drivers of trafficking for sexual exploitation, including through law enforcement operational intensific-ations aimed at tackling modern slavery threats, and targeting prolific perpetrators.
The protection of women and girls from exploitation is at the forefront of our approach. We want to go further to understand the options, by working with and listening to NGOs, charities and parliamentarians.
To help support people at risk of being sexually exploited, the modern slavery victim care contract provides support to adult potential and confirmed victims of modern slavery in England and Wales. This support includes a support worker to help them access support services, including medical treatment, legal aid, legal representatives, and legal advice.
The Government will continue to keep policies to tackle sexual exploitation under review.