Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 2.2.11 of the UK Annual Report on Modern Slavery, how much funding was provided for prevention work to raise awareness of the risks and signs of sexual exploitation among users of Adult Services Websites; which organisations received that funding; and if she will publish the (a) results and (b) evaluation of this campaign.

The Home Office provided a grant of £10,000 in 2020/21 to fund a 3-month campaign targeted at UK-located sex buyers and those using adult service websites. The intention of the campaign was to increase their understanding of how adult service websites are used by offenders to advertise victims of sexual exploitation.

The campaign provided informative messaging on how to spot indicators, how sex buyers can help victims, and increasing confidence in reporting pathways with the aim to uplift reporting levels among UK located buyers of sexual services.

The recipient of the grant cannot be shared publicly as it compromises the intentions of the campaign itself. The campaign was evaluated; however, the results have not be published as it would potentially compromise future campaigns of this nature.