London MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy said it was ‘abhorrent’ for human remains to be sold on social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, eBay, Etsy and Gumtree.
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00:00I recently met with members of the British Association for Biological Anthropology and
00:05Osteoarchaeology, who highlighted a loophole in the Human Tissues Act which allows human
00:10remains to be auctioned, frequently disguised as modified items or replicas. This has included
00:15a foetal skeleton posed under a glass dome, a human thigh bone turned into a cane, a human
00:21jawbone necklace and the varnished skull of a six-year-old, often from indigenous communities
00:26in Africa and Asia stolen during colonial expeditions. Does the Deputy Prime Minister
00:31agree that it is abhorrent for human remains, regardless of their origin or age, to be sold
00:37by auction houses and on social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, eBay, Etsy and Gumtree?
00:43Will the Government take action to end this depraved practice?
00:48I thank my hon. Friend for raising this sensitive issue. It is absolutely horrifying to hear
00:54the account of what my hon. Friend mentions. I absolutely agree that it is abhorrent.
00:59While the Human Tissue Authority strictly regulates the public display of human remains
01:04with fines or imprisonment for breaches, it does not cover sales or purchases. However,
01:10I will ensure that a meeting is made with the appropriate Minister to discuss the troubling
01:15cases that she raises.