Commercial sexual exploitation multi-agency group

Overview

This multi-agency group, created in March 2024, brings together key partners to inform our policy approach to tackling commercial sexual exploitation.

The group's work will be driven by the Equally Safe Strategy which describes commercial sexual exploitation as a form of violence against women that includes:

• prostitution
• lap dancing
• stripping
• pornography
• trafficking

The group will also help to inform the implementation of Scotland’s strategic approach to challenging men’s demand for prostitution (published February 2024).

It will align with our Vision for Justice and be guided by policy principles published in 2022.

Recognising the range of interests, a reference group made up of wider policy areas across Scottish Government will support the work of this group.

The group’s terms of reference and minutes from the meeting will be published on this page once agreed by the group.

Members

The group has representation from:

• COSLA
• Police Scotland
• Public Health Scotland
• Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Health Network
• Improvement Service
• Violence Against Women Partnership (VAWP) Network
• NHS
• Ofcom (in an observer capacity)
• Skills Development Scotland
• Women’s Support Project
• Sacro
• Another Way Project
• SAY Women
• Just Right Scotland
• Routes Out
• WRASAC (Vice Versa) – Women’s Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (Dundee  and Angus)
• Trafficking Awareness Raising Alliance (TARA)
• Survivors of Human Trafficking in Scotland (SOHTIS)
• Scottish Commission for Learning Disability
• Shakti Women's Aid
• Amina - The Muslim Women's Resource Centre (MWRC)
• academia (involved with previous lived experience research)

The group will also include Scottish Government policy representation from:                                              

• Violence against women and girls (VAWG) justice policy (the group is chaired by VAWG justice)
• VAWG equalities policy
• Human trafficking policy
• Child protection policy
• Serious organised crime policy
• Adult support and protection policy
• Licensing and pornography policy leads

Documents

• Challenging demand for prostitution: international evidence review