Lynch urges Government to help trafficked people

A CATHOLIC bishop has warned that government policies are leaving victims of trafficking vulnerable to abuse, writes Liz Dodd.

His comments come ahead of a major conference on the topic at the Vatican next week, chaired by Cardinal Vincent Nichols.

Bishop Patrick Lynch, chairman of the office for migration policy at the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, joined charities in urging the Government to extend the 45-day period of support it offers trafficked people. During that time, a victim of trafficking cannot be removed from the UK.

“There should be more flexibility in the 45-day reflection period, especially for the most vulnerable cases who will be at high risk if returned to their home country or left completely to their own devices in the UK,” Bishop Lynch said.

He also criticised visa requirements for migrant domestic workers to stay with one employer or face deportation. Some of them come into the country at the hands of traffickers. “While this was not the intention of the Government, it does leave domestic workers in a very vulnerable situation – open to abuse and slavery,” he told The Tablet.

A spokesman for the bishops’ conference said that the Vatican gathering would use the UK as an example of good practice.

“The UK is a focus in so far as the collaboration between police and Church in London will be showcased as an initiative that can be copied and adapted around the world ... the aim of the conference is to bring police chiefs from around the world together so they can build a network to combat trafficking.”