Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of global steps to tackle human trafficking and sex slavery.

Tackling modern slavery, including sexual exploitation, is a cross-government priority. The Government is working to secure better international engagement and coordination to drive action on modern slavery globally as, with 40 million people in slavery worldwide, the response does not yet meet the scale of the challenge,

Our Prime Minister has taken a leading role in pushing for increased international action. In September 2017, she launched a Call to Action at the UN General Assembly to encourage countries to drive action to tackle modern slavery. 42 countries have now endorsed this important political statement of intent, and we will continue to push for more country endorsements and ensure that it delivers action on the ground. The Prime Minister also committed to double ODA spend on modern slavery to £150 million. Recently the Secretary of State for International Development announced £40 million of this funding, which will help over 500,000 vulnerable men, women and children.