Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he has taken to tackle trafficking and sale of slaves in Libya.

The Prime Minister has called modern slavery one of the great human rights challenges of our time, and has made eradicating this scourge one of her top foreign policy priorities. We have committed to doubling our aid spend in support of this objective to £150 million. In Libya, we have provided humanitarian aid to migrants and refugees and delivered assistance in detention centres. We are also increasing our engagement with the Libyan law enforcement authorities to tackle organised crime and trafficking. We have provided specific support to women and girls, to protect them from the heightened risks of trafficking and sexual and gender based violence. The UK regularly raises with the Libyan Government the need for wider respect for human rights and accountability.