Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy 2025: equality impact assessment

Key Findings

Scotland’s second Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy takes a public health approach to trafficking. There have been growing calls for taking such an approach to trafficking and exploitation within academic literature, as outlined in the series of evidence reviews, produced by the Scottish Government’s Justice Analytical Services (JAS), but this is at an early stage of development within policy and practice^[6].

Taking a public health approach does not mean focusing only on health nor focusing only on prevention. It means taking an approach that has demonstrated improvement in the health and wellbeing of populations by delivering targeted interventions and resources aligned to their specific needs or challenges and applying it to trafficking.

Using a public health approach to Trafficking brings with it a number of advantages including, but not limited to:

• focusing on preventing trafficking by understanding and changing the conditions that allow it to happen. This means looking at the existing situations and social conditions that put people at risk-both in local communities and on a national and international level. Prevention is already a key part of the previous strategy but is an area that requires further focus.
• using multi-agency and collaborative approaches to address interrelated causes and effects. This is already the approach taken in the previous Trafficking Strategy and strengthens it.
• viewing the harm done by Trafficking not only as impacting specific individuals but also their family and community.
• being evidence and data-driven with a clear focus and ambition to evaluate the outcomes of the Strategy and the processes required to achieve these. While it can be challenging to identify outcomes and indicators for some broader prevention measures, the intention to monitor and evaluate the outcomes of the Strategy leads to an improved evidence-base.
• having flexibility to respond to changing and complex circumstances, contexts and impacts. This is of particular relevance within the fast-changing national and international context in which traffickers adopt alternative strategies to avoid detection
• more effective use of resources at local and national levels to maximise the impact of interventions and programmes.
• an alignment with other Scottish Government approaches focused on vulnerable groups and public protection.

Age – summary of findings

The experiences of trafficking and exploitation differ depending on whether a person is a child or an adult, both in terms of the types of exploitation they may face, and the support services required to assist them. Even within the broad categories of ‘child’ and ‘adult’, specific age groups may experience exploitation in distinct ways. The intersection of age with other characteristics such as gender, race and disability, can also create compounded challenges.

The impact of age can be evidenced through the latest National Referral Mechanism (NRM) statistics published by the UK Government^[7]. These statistics show that in 2024 in Scotland, 664 adults and 256 children were referred to the NRM as potential victims of human trafficking and exploitation. Of the 664 adults referred, 487 cases included indicators of labour exploitation, followed by 176 cases with criminal exploitation indicators and 99 cases displayed indicators of sexual exploitation. For children, of the 256 cases referred. 119 cases involved indicators of criminal exploitation, 103 cases included indicators of labour exploitation with 36 cases displaying signs of sexual exploitation. Children are therefore more likely to experience criminal exploitation while adults are more likely to experience labour exploitation in Scotland.

The Strategy underpins the need to ensure that victims of human trafficking and exploitation, regardless of their age, will receive the appropriate support.

The Strategy has adopted the principle of being age-sensitive in order to increase awareness of how age may affect the services available to children and young people or those who may be elderly. This may advance equality of opportunity by encouraging human trafficking and exploitation to be recognised by practitioners and others as a risk at all ages and not confined to a specific age bracket.

The Strategy may also have a positive effect in fostering good working relations between service providers, as both children and adult victims are a focus of Outcome 1. This will enable better partnership working across the transition from child services to adult supports and enhance relationships between practitioners working in child and adult services.

A Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) is published alongside this document and sets out the impact of the Strategy on children.

Disability – summary of findings

There is limited evidence in Scotland in relation to how this characteristic intersects with trafficking and exploitation. However, it is widely recognised^[8] that learning disabilities and mental health issues may make people more vulnerable to becoming victims of trafficking and exploitation. Research from England and Wales suggests that there is, for instance, insufficient attention paid to potential victims with disabilities, potentially resulting in a low identification rate of children with disabilities who may be victims of trafficking and exploitation^[9]. By emphasising preventative approaches, the Strategy will lead to risk factors being more widely understood and will contribute to interventions being carried out in a sensitive manner to disability.

The Strategy will contribute to equality of opportunity through raising awareness of practitioners and others to recognise disability as a key factor in vulnerability to human trafficking and exploitation and therefore helping to focus preventative interventions.

Scotland’s new Strategy may also have a positive effect in fostering good relations through encouraging practitioners with experience of disability to share learning with and inform others to improve the overall knowledge base.

Sex – summary of findings

Annual data from the National Referral Mechanism for 2024 indicates that of the 920 victims identified in relation to Scotland, 206 were female and 714 were men.

The data from the National Referral Mechanism underlines the differing experiences of human trafficking and exploitation that can be created as a consequence of sex. Women are significantly more likely than men to be trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation. Of the cases which included indicators of sexual exploitation identified through the National Referral Mechanism in Scotland in 2024, 74% involved women. However, men are more likely than women to be trafficked for the purposes of labour (approximately 85% of all cases with indicators of labour exploitation in 2024 involved men) and criminal exploitation (87% of all cases with indicators of criminal exploitation in 2024 involved men).

Trafficking impacts women, men, girls and boys differently and some forms of trafficking and exploitation are more likely to affect one sex than another. It is important that this recognition translates into appropriate support for each survivor of trafficking and exploitation and is based on an understanding not only of the differences of experiences and their impact on individual survivors but also of the complexities of power hierarchies between and within genders. Further evidence on this is needed to ensure that we can tailor support appropriately to these needs.

The Strategy will ensure that the way in which sex influences how human trafficking and exploitation is recognised and used to inform both preventative interventions and support where exploitation has occurred.

Equality of opportunity may also be advanced by the Strategy’s data-led approach to intervention. While it is widely recognised that women and girls are significantly more likely to be trafficked for sexual exploitation, the Strategy will highlight the different experiences of human trafficking experienced by women, girls, men and boys and ensure intervention across all groups are evidence-based.

The Strategy may also have a positive impact in fostering good relations between people as practitioners and wider public may have the opportunity to understand more about the vulnerabilities and risks of exploitation faced as a consequence of sex and the most appropriate response to mitigate these risks.

Pregnancy and Maternity

There is limited evidence about the impact of pregnancy and maternity on experiences of human trafficking and exploitation. However, there is some evidence that pregnancy and maternity can increase vulnerability as traffickers may prevent access to care^[10] and may use threats against the child^[11] to ensure parental compliance. The Trafficking Awareness Raising Alliance (TARA) support women who have been sexually exploited and, alongside Migrant Help, refer women to appropriate services during their pregnancy and maternity period.

The Strategy will recognise pregnancy and maternity as a vulnerability to human trafficking and exploitation and will underpin the development of relevant knowledge within midwifery services.

Equality of opportunity may be improved as more anti-human trafficking practitioners recognise the vulnerabilities created by pregnancy and ensure more women are able to access appropriate services.

Good relations may be fostered between people as the experiences and challenges of pregnancy and maternity in an exploitative situation can be shared with key frontline service providers.

Further evidence is required in relation to the challenges experienced under this characteristic in Scotland.

Gender Reassignment

There is limited evidence in Scotland in relation to how this characteristic intersects with trafficking and exploitation. However, it is widely recognised that individuals who have undergone gender reassignment experience high rates of harassment and bullying and may therefore be more reluctant to disclose their gender reassignment. In addition, transphobic discrimination can increase risks of homelessness and consequently vulnerability to exploitation^[12].

The Strategy will take a gender sensitive approach, recognising that a tailored approach is required to address the specific vulnerabilities created by gender reassignment. By doing so, the Strategy will raise awareness of the risks for this cohort and improve the focus and understanding of practitioners in this area.

Equality of opportunity may be advanced as gender reassignment is more widely recognised as a significant vulnerability to exploitation.

Good relations may be fostered between different groups as improved data and information is shared on the links between gender reassignment and human trafficking and exploitation.

Further evidence is required into the challenges experienced under this characteristic in Scotland.

Sexual Orientation

In Scotland we have limited evidence in relation to how this characteristic intersects with trafficking and exploitation. However, we are aware that people who identify as LGBTQIA+ may be more vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation^[13]. The intersection between different vulnerabilities affects genders in different ways which may result in the amplification of specific risks for LGBTQIA+ groups. In addition, they may also experience increased barriers to identification and support due to gender identity-based discrimination intersecting with other risk factors and marginalisation.

The Strategy is underpinned by a gender-sensitive principle and this will ensure all actions are considered through that lens. The Strategy will raise awareness of the challenges and risks faced by sexual orientation and inform and upskill practitioners as necessary.

This may improve equality of opportunity for people who identify as LGBTQIA+ by providing practitioners with a greater understanding and visibility of this cohort when considering vulnerability to human trafficking and exploitation.

Good relations may be fostered between different groups as improved data and information is shared on the links between sexual orientation and human trafficking and exploitation and tailored strategies are developed to meet the specific vulnerabilities presented by this cohort.

Further evidence is required into the challenges experienced by these groups in Scotland.

Race

It is widely recognised that ethnic minorities are significantly more vulnerable to human trafficking and exploitation due to long-standing discrimination and other systemic barriers^[14]. Within the UK, survivors who are from ethnic minority backgrounds have reported barriers/discrimination within trafficking specific and non-trafficking systems. During our consultation phase, we gathered information from survivors of trafficking which highlighted, at least initially, significant levels of mistrust of authorities within non-UK national survivors.

The Strategy will provide a framework through which to focus preventative approaches on groups at risk of exploitation. The Strategy is underpinned by a principle of cultural competence to ensure the needs of a diverse population are met in a way that understands their cultural background.

Equality of opportunity may be increased through culturally competent interventions and awareness raising amongst specific at-risk groups to ensure knowledge of and how to respond to human trafficking and exploitation threats are widely recognised.

The Strategy may foster good relations between organisations representing ethnic minorities and human trafficking practitioners in Scotland, which may help to tailor specific interventions or awareness raising activities for cohorts that may be considered as challenging to reach.

The Strategy will be underpinned by a principle of cultural competence which will require further evidence of the challenges faced as a consequence of race by trafficking survivors in Scotland.

Religion or belief

There is limited evidence in Scotland in relation to how this characteristic intersects with trafficking and exploitation. However, marginalised groups, including those based on religion or religious beliefs, can experience increased vulnerability to human trafficking and exploitation^[15].

The Strategy will take a human rights approach based on the PANEL principles, including a non-discrimination focus which may assist people who face the biggest barriers to accessing their rights.

Equality of opportunity may be enhanced by interaction with at risk minority groups including through engagement with faith organisations. This may provide more assurance for those within religious groups to understand and recognise victims of human trafficking and exploitation.

The Strategy may foster good relations between faith organisations and human trafficking practitioners in Scotland, which may help to tailor specific interventions or awareness raising activities.

Further evidence is required into the challenges this characteristic can create.

Marriage and civil partnerships

The Scottish Government does not require assessment against this protected characteristic unless the policy or practice relates to work, for example HR policies and practices – which this policy does not.