\u200bThe illicit sex trade is closely linked to modern slavery, and the fight against modern slavery is one of the foreign policy priorities of this government. The UK is in the forefront of the international efforts to combat modern slavery, including sexual exploitation, and this government has committed over £200 million of UK Aid to this end. We work in partnership with host governments, where appropriate, to help them strengthen their domestic legislation, to build capacity in their law enforcement authorities, and to raise awareness among vulnerable communities.<\/p>
We take the question of illegal sex tourism by UK nationals overseas very seriously, and Section 72 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 also allows for the prosecution of UK nationals/residents who sexually abuse or exploit children, wherever in the world they commit these acts. Combatting criminal offending and safeguarding of victims is almost always best achieved through local intervention and local support mechanisms. However, where there is a safeguarding issue or an ongoing risk to children, proceedings can be brought in England and Wales against the individual, regardless of whether the local authorities have sought to bring such action.<\/p>
Our network of tri-departmental Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Home Office and the Department For International Development Serious and Organised Crime Regional Coordinators, and National Crime Agency officers posted overseas, work closely with their host governments in the fight against all forms of organised crime, including child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA). The network's aim is to fuse and enhance the response to transnational serious and organised crime. The Government is also enhancing its understanding of the nature and impact of international illicit finance (including corruption), demonstrating the UK's global leadership in tackling it. We will engage with partner governments to build both the political will and the capability to tackle this threat. In addition, as part of the UK Anti-Corruption Strategy 2017-2022, we are taking forward a wide range of programmes and initiatives to tackle corruption internationally.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4306", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Goldie"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Goldie"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-07-01", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-07-01T16:41:33.303Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "16"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-06-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Developing Countries: Prostitution"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to share best practice on reducing sex tourism in developing countries, and in addressing corruption linked to sex work and slavery.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/2018", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Hylton"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Hylton"} ], "uin" : "HL16409"} ], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 1, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]} }