Written questions submitted by Lord Hylton regarding trafficking and modern slavery in India, rehabilitation of prostitutes and training of police in India, and on the inclusion of Dalit human rights issues in the annual human rights report.

India

Questions

Asked by Lord Hylton

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will invite all Commonwealth members to support India in measures to prevent internal trafficking and modern slavery affecting the Dalit minority. [HL2729]

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): The UK strongly encourages all Commonwealth member states to implement key international agreements aimed at improving anti-trafficking efforts across the world, primarily the UN Convention on Transnational Organised Crime and the Palermo Protocol (on human trafficking).

We regularly raise human rights issues with the Government of India. We are concerned about reports of human trafficking and slavery and will continue to raise these issues with appropriate authorities at national and state level and also through the EU-India Human Rights Dialogue. We continue to work in the Commonwealth to promote human rights standards.

Asked by Lord Hylton

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Government of India with regard to (a) the legal system and remedies for domestic and personal violence, (b) the right to education for all, (c) the rehabilitation of prostitutes, and (d) police training, especially in relation to human trafficking.[HL2731]

Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK's development co-operation with India provides a platform to discuss issues of governance, personal security and human development with the Government of India and individual state governments.

The Department for International Development (DfID) has recently discussed the legal system and remedies for domestic and personal violence with the State Government of Bihar, where high levels of violence against women have been reported; we are encouraged that the 2009 Right to Education Act came into effect in India in April 2010. DfID maintains a regular dialogue with the Government of India and the states on implementing the Right to Education Act of 2009. DfID is supporting the Act though a £50 million contribution to India's flagship Education for All programme;DfID is helping to protect the health and personal security of millions of sex workers across India by supporting India's National AIDS Control Programme; andalthough we have not discussed police training in relation to human trafficking with the Government of India, we work closely with state governments on police training. For example, DfID is currently in discussion with the Government of Bihar regarding the inclusion of police reform activities under the Bihar Governance Project. The EU also funded a project from 2006-10 which focused on assisting children vulnerable to or survivors of trafficking and sexual exploitation in West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. In addition, through the EU, we continue to encourage India to ratify and implement the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime and its Protocol on People Trafficking.

Asked by Lord Hylton

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Annual Review of Human Rights by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will in future include a section on the Dalit minority in India.[HL2730]

Lord Howell of Guildford: Human rights reporting is key to our work to promote and protect human rights around the world. The scope and quality of our annual reporting will not change. We will continue to report annually to Parliament in the form of a command paper. In order to ensure greater accessibility by the wider public to our human rights work, we will also make more information available online through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website, allowing access to more real-time reporting on human rights.

A final decision on the content of the command paper has not yet been made by my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary but, as in previous years, the command paper will include the full scope of our human rights activities.

Source: Lords Hansard 25 Oct 2010 Column WA237/8