Men urged to ‘stop using prostitutes' as MPs debate modern slavery
Men have been urged to 'stop using prostitutes' by a Labour MP, as she raised concerns for women who are being 'systematically raped'.
Sarah Russell said a 'significant' number of women are brought to the UK under false pretences before being forced to work in the sex industry.
A total of 19,125 potential modern slavery victims in the UK were referred to the Home Office in 2024, a record high since the National Referral Mechanism began in 2009.
Labour's Chris Murray argued that women who seek help from the state are being re-trafficked due to delays in the current system.
As MPs debated the Modern Slavery Act 2015, Mrs Russell told the Commons: 'If I could say one thing, I really, really wish that men – and it is predominantly men – would stop using prostitutes, could you just stop?
'Because the number of women who are being brought to the UK under false pretences, believing that they're going to do a different form of work and are then put to sex work against their will … kept in physically confined situations, which they're not allowed to leave, and having had their passports taken away from them is really, really significant.
'The other thing that happens is that some women, who come here knowing that that might be an element of their work, if they then complain about it or want to stop, are told that their children back home will be harmed if they do, so are unable to go to the police when they are being systematically raped.
'So please, please, men, stop using prostitutes.'
The MP for Congleton added: 'The best way to stop having a market for criminal activity is for people to stop buying criminally traded goods, whether that is vapes, tobacco, drugs or women.'
Home Office minister Jess Phillips agreed, telling MPs she had recently visited Romania.
'I wish people would just stop sleeping with prostitutes because that is an exploitation of those women, and those stories those women in Romania told me were harrowing,' she said.
Later in the session, Mr Murray criticised the 'huge delays' in victims getting a decision on the National Referral Mechanism (NRM).
The MP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh said the mean waiting time for a decision was 831 days, adding: 'That is beyond unacceptable, it is systemic dysfunction.'
He continued: 'The real-world implication of that is re-trafficking. Women who are trafficked for sex, who then come to the state for help, end up back in the hands of their traffickers because of our delays.
'Children who are locked in houses and forced to farm cannabis in appalling conditions, who manage to escape, who come (to) us (for) help, then, because of our sheer incompetence, end up back with their torturers.
'We should not be congratulating ourselves today on the passage of historic legislation, we should be hanging our heads in shame at what is happening under our watch.
'So I hope the minister will today set out a clear plan to clear that backlog.'
Labour minister Ms Phillips said the Home Office had reduced the backlog of NRM cases, halving it since a peak in 2022 after hiring 100 staff.
She said the Government will launch a consultation on the process used to identify victims of modern slavery.
'If I do nothing else, the reform of the NRM is something that I feel fairly certain that I can commit to. It is not working – the system does not work,' Ms Phillips said.
Elsewhere in the debate, Conservative former minister Dame Karen Bradley led calls for the Modern Slavery Act to be updated, including to address concerns over forced labour in supply chains.
The Government earlier this week rejected an attempt to amend legislation to prevent ministers from providing financial assistance to GB Energy if there is credible evidence of modern slavery in the company's supply chains.
It was proposed against the backdrop of mounting disquiet over the participation of China in Britain's green transition, with long-standing concerns over forced Uighur labour.
Dame Karen, who chairs the Home Affairs Committee, said the United States has legislation to stop items entering the country's market unless the importer can prove that there was no slavery in the supply chain.
She added: 'I would urge the Government to look at what we can do on those measures because I think these are simple wins the Government could have that would really improve the situation and make it clear that we do not stand for slavery.
'We're not going to become green in our energy production on the backs of the poorest and those that are being exploited.'
Labour MP Blair McDougall (East Renfrewshire) highlighted the 'crimes against humanity' taking place against the Uighurs and said slave labour was 'far from limited' to the green energy sector.
In his concluding remarks, Mr McDougall said: 'We are trying to rebuild the British economy but we cannot do that at the cost of being complicit in the destruction of an entire people. On this 10th anniversary, it's high time to modernise the Modern Slavery Act.'
Ms Phillips said: 'There is nothing that I would say that is currently off the table for members of this House to work with the Government with regard to that, with a special mention to the Uighur Muslims who have been mentioned again, and again in this House.'
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