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
