Field report: Stronger Anti-Trafficking Laws (Scotland)

Goal:

Alongside our partners, ECPAT UK and CARE Scotland, our goal was to urge the Scottish Parliament to ensure that measures to protect children be included in the Scottish Human Trafficking and Exploitation Bill.

Summary:

Research in 2014 found that children had been trafficked to Scotland and exploited in domestic servitude, forced labor and sexual exploitation, with some disappearing from care and re-trafficked to a life of further abuse. Following previous successful campaigns with ECPAT UK to strengthen the Modern Slavery Act in England and Wales and to ensure this anti-trafficking bill in Scotland was given time to be debated in the Scottish parliament, we launched a second campaign to strengthen the bill by including provisions for children at risk of trafficking and to bring their abusers to justice. Advocates were asked to join together to protect children in Scotland and to make the country a more unwelcome place for human traffickers.

Outcome:

In October 2015, our campaign was a success! Following our petition delivery of over 6000 signatures to Members of Scottish Parliament, the Scottish Parliament voted through the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act with important provisions for child victims of trafficking. The passing of this act means that thousands of at-risk children will get the support they need to stay protected from trafficking

Note:

Learn more about this stronger anti-trafficking law by reading these articles: Misery of Scotland's sex slaves, Scottish Parliament website: Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Bill

Our partner in this campaign:

ECPAT UK

ECPAT UK is the UK national representative of ECPAT International, a global network of 80 children’s rights organisations in 74 countries. Since 1994, ECPAT UK’s targeted and focused campaigns and activities have been successful in improving child protection, including the introduction of new UK legislation and the ratification of relevant international conventions, and in raising awareness about child trafficking, exploitation and the abuse of children by British sex offenders at home and abroad.

Care – Christian Action Research and Education

CARE (Christian Action Research and Education) is a well-established mainstream Christian charity providing resources and helping to bring Christian insight and experience to matters of public policy and practical caring initiatives across the UK. CARE has campaigned for a better response to human trafficking for more than ten years.