On August 4, the UK government announced plans to strengthen measures against human trafficking, focusing on handling those who use social media to promote services to bring illegal immigrants to the country.
According to the proposal, individuals who post online content to advertise services that violate the immigration law will be subject to a fine and a prison sentence of up to 5 years.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the government are under great pressure from the public and the political world to reduce the number of people crossing the Manche Strait by small boat from France to the UK. Since the beginning of the year, more than 25,000 people have taken this dangerous journey.
analysis by the UK Home Affairs shows that about 80% of people crossing the border by small boats have used social media to search for or contact human trafficking rings.
Although current law has stipulated that illegal immigration is a crime, the government believes that the new crime will help law enforcement agencies have more tools to prevent and disrupt the activities of criminal gangs that profit from this form.
The UK has previously implemented a new sanctions mechanism that would allow asset freezes, ban travel and block access to the financial system for individuals and organizations involved in illegal immigration support.
With the changes to the law, the UK government expects to significantly limit human trafficking by sea and better protect the lives of migrants.
