New Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy published

Date: 31st May 2017
Category: Child trafficking

The Scottish Government has published it's new Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy which aims to completely eliminate human trafficking and exploitation.

The Strategy identifies three key 'Action Areas' in the Government's fight against trafficking. These include identifying and supporting victims, identifying perpetrators and disrupting their activity, and addressing the local and global conditions that foster trafficking.

The publication of the Strategy comes after a recent BBC probe into trafficking in Scotland revealed the extent to which humans are trafficked to Scotland, particularly areas such as Glasgow, for the purposes of sham marriages, sexual exploitation, or cheap labour. It has been reported that humans are now the second most lucrative criminal commodity in Scotland after drugs.

The Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015 places a statutory obligation on Government to publish a Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy for Scotland. In preparation for the publication of the Strategy, the Scottish Government launched a public consultation as well as seeking the views of both male and female victims of human trafficking. The Scottish Government also commissioned a survey on public awareness of human trafficking in Scotland.