Recommendation 104: High risk countries list for travel orders
From Children Outside the United Kingdom Phase 2 Investigation Report, published 9 January 2020.
Recommendation
The Home Office should bring forward legislation providing for the establishment and maintenance by the National Crime Agency of a list of countries where children are considered to be at high risk of sexual abuse and exploitation from overseas offenders. This list should be kept under regular review. The list of countries should be made available to the police, and used routinely to help identify whether a person who has been charged with sexual offences against a child poses a risk to children overseas based on their travel history and/or plans. If the person is considered to pose a risk of sexual harm to children overseas, the police should submit an application for a foreign travel restriction order under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. The list of countries should be admissible in court and used when considering whether a foreign travel restriction order should be made under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and if so, to which countries it should apply.
In brief (written by this site)
The Inquiry asked the Home Office to legislate for a high-risk countries list. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, enacted in April 2022, provides that the Secretary of State may prepare, or direct a relevant person to prepare, a list of countries and territories outside the United Kingdom where children are at high risk of sexual abuse or exploitation (Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, section 172: List of countries, Apr 2022). Earlier, in January 2021, HM Government stated in a response published by the department that it accepted the recommendation, had commissioned the National Crime Agency (NCA) to compile the list, and would bring forward legislation when parliamentary time allowed to assist police and courts with foreign travel prohibitions (Home Office response, Jan 2021; Home Office, Jan 2021).
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 5 Oct 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
8. The Home Office fully accepts the Inquiry’s recommendation and will bring forward the necessary legislation to give effect to this recommendation when parliamentary time allows. To deliver on this recommendation, the Home Office has commissioned the NCA to produce a list of countries where children overseas are considered to be at high risk of sexual abuse and exploitation from UK nationals and residents. The list will be made available to the police, the NCA and the courts to assist them in considering whether a prohibition on foreign travel is necessary as part of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order or Sexual Risk Order. 9. This recommendation will support the wider processes in place to manage the risk posed by registered sex offenders (RSOs) in the community. All RSOs in England and Wales are subject to notification requirements and must notify the police of any travel abroad, including a range of details in connection with this travel. These details enable the police to assess the risk and further consider whether a foreign travel prohibition via a civil order would be appropriate and disseminate information about foreign travel with international law enforcement partners in other countries where it is proportionate and necessary to do so. 10. We will continue to update the Inquiry on the progress of this recommendation.
Delivery
The government states no delivery position (28 April 2022)
(1) The Secretary of State may—
(a) prepare a list of countries and territories outside the United Kingdom in which the Secretary of State considers children are at a high risk of sexual abuse or sexual exploitation from United Kingdom nationals or United Kingdom residents, or
(b) direct a relevant person to prepare a list of countries and territories outside the United Kingdom in which the relevant person considers children are at a high risk of sexual abuse or sexual exploitation from United Kingdom nationals or United Kingdom residents.
From: Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, section 172: List of countries (as enacted)
Site note: Section 172 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, as enacted (Royal Assent 28 April 2022). The Inquiry's own recommendations page for the Children Outside the UK report links it to this recommendation: "sections 172 and 173 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 reflect these changes". The Act states no delivery position of its own.
Home Office says in progress (21 January 2021)
The Home Office fully accepts the Inquiry’s recommendation and will bring forward the necessary legislation to give effect to this recommendation when parliamentary time allows.
Source
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- Home Office
Response, delivery statement - The government
Delivery statement