Scotland's Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy 2025

Outcomes

The Strategy has four long-term outcomes

1 Child and adult victims are identified, protected and supported to safety and long-term recovery: the protection and support of child and adult victims remains an absolute priority for the Strategy. For this to be effective, early identification, access to co-ordinated services, legal entitlements and community integration opportunities are crucial. The voices of people with lived experience will continue to inform work in this area.

2 Perpetrators are identified, their activities are disrupted and they are prosecuted: taking robust and swift action against perpetrators, be they individuals, businesses or organised crime groups, is essential in order to protect children, adults and communities against the harm caused by trafficking and exploitation. The identification and prosecution of those involved in serious organised crime continues to be an essential part of the ‘Serious and Organised Crime Strategy’^[24].

3 Improved use of data, evidence and research informs strategy implementation: in order to understand the nature of trafficking and profile of victims and perpetrators in Scotland, it is vital that evidence and data use is improved. This is also important for learning from activities that have proven to be most effective and identifying areas for improvement as well as keeping abreast of emerging trends in trafficking and changes across associated risk factors.

4 Conditions that expose children, adults and communities in Scotland to increased risks of trafficking and retrafficking are addressed: this outcome aligns with the overall prevention framework of a Public Health approach as well as the existing Government strategies that seek to ensure a safer and fairer Scotland. Efforts directed towards the prevention of trafficking will continue to span local, Scottish, UK and international levels.

Using the public health approach to trafficking outlined above, the outcomes are mapped across the primary (before harm occurs), secondary (intervening early) and tertiary (treating harms and supporting recovery) levels of prevention. Annex C provides an overview of the strategic and policy context in Scotland to show how various other strategies contribute to reducing general risk factors at a population level.

Text for graphic below:

A one-page summary of Scotland’s Human Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy 2025. The text reads as follows, and each of the principles is represented by an associated Microsoft 365 icon.

Our vision is to prevent human trafficking and exploitation in Scotland and to respond effectively when it does occur.

The purpose of the strategy is to prevent trafficking and exploitation of adults and children by providing a clear framework, informed by survivor voices and data, through which our anti-trafficking interventions will be delivered.

The following principles underpin our approach:

Human rights

Trauma-informed and culturally competent

Victim/survivor- informed

Gender-sensitive

Multi-agency approach

Partnership working at local, Scottish, UK and international level

Age-sensitive

Taking a public health approach we will prevent before harm occurs, intervene early, treat harms and support recovery.

Outcomes

1. Child and adult victims are identified, protected and supported to safety and long-term recovery

2. Perpetrators are identified, their activities are disrupted, and they are prosecuted

3. Improved use of data, evidence and research informs strategy implementation

4. Conditions that expose children, adults and communities in Scotland to increased risks of trafficking and retrafficking are addressed

Outcome 1: Child and adult victims are identified, protected and supported to safety and long-term recovery

The protection and support of child and adult victims remains an absolute priority for the Strategy. For this to be effective, early identification, access to co-ordinated services and to legal entitlements are crucial. The voices of people with lived experience will continue to inform work in this area.

Before harm occurs

• Awareness of trafficking and exploitation is raised across the public and third sectors through systematic training
• Locally developed partnership mechanism allows stakeholders to exchange area-specific information and co-ordinate resources
• Awareness of trafficking, exploitation and rights is raised with at-risk individuals and communities, including internationally
• The rights to protection from exploitation and trafficking are upheld through persistent efforts in planning and action between agencies to prevent harm and safeguard children and adults at risk.

Intervening early

• Those who encounter victims understand signs, know what to do and have the knowledge and skills to identify and refer to appropriate services
• Multi-agency, trauma-informed and culturally competent adult and child centred support processes, services and advocacy enable victims to recover and build resilience
• Service providers deliver an accessible and reliable service to victims which engenders trust
• Service providers work closely with individuals and communities to identify potential victims
• Victims have access to the information and support they need to make informed decisions about their situation
• Greater knowledge of trafficking and exploitation amongst the legal and criminal justice sector is developed.

Treating harms and supporting recovery

• Prevent retrafficking and reduce harm through the provision of trauma and survivor-responsive long-term support
• Support survivors with legal processes, social/community reintegration and building resilience during the different stages of their recovery journey.

Outcome 2: Perpetrators are identified, their activities are disrupted, and they are prosecuted

Taking robust and swift action against all perpetrators, be they individuals, businesses or organised crime groups, is essential in order to protect children, adults and communities against the harm caused by trafficking and exploitation. The identification and prosecution of those involved in trafficking and exploitation, including serious organised crime, continues to be an essential part of the Strategy^[25].

Before harm occurs

• Adequate and accurate information and data is gathered and shared within local, Scottish, UK and international partnerships, including emerging issues in specific sectors
• Regulatory compliance standards and mechanisms are implemented, monitored and reported on to strengthen transparency in supply chains
• Fair work policies and practices are adopted and monitored
• Awareness, education and training within the justice system and other public bodies to identify trafficking and exploitation activities and understand the victims’ situation.

Intervening early

• Use the law effectively to disrupt and prevent perpetrators from committing trafficking, including the online facilitation of exploitation
• Police work with counterparts in source and other countries to disrupt and prevent perpetrator activity
• Victims of trafficking are supported through the justice process in a trauma-informed and person-centred manner, including the application for special measures available to victims
• Knowledge of the Lord Advocate’s Instructions on the presumption against prosecution of victims of trafficking is increased within the justice sector.

Treating harms and supporting recovery

• Police, prosecutors and courts use prevention and risk orders effectively to prevent perpetrators from retrafficking victims
• Named public bodies are equipped to meet the duty to notify once commenced
• Victims are supported to pursue both criminal and civil remedies where appropriate.

Outcome 3: Improved use of data, evidence and research informs strategy implementation

In order to understand the nature of trafficking and exploitation and the profile of victims and perpetrators in Scotland, it is vital that evidence and data use is improved and shared across all partnership groups. This is important for learning from activities that have proven to be most effective, identifying areas for improvement, keeping abreast of emerging trends in trafficking and exploitation and measuring the extent to which we are meeting Outcomes 1, 2 and 4 of the Strategy. Outcome 3 therefore serves to inform and strengthen all actions of the Strategy. The complex nature of trafficking and exploitation and the fact that prevention research in this area is relatively new, means that it is challenging to establish a robust evidence-base of effective preventative interventions. However, we will continue to work with our partners to share the learning, and build the evidence base, on what works to prevent and reduce the harm caused by trafficking and exploitation.

Before harm occurs

• Regular horizon scanning at local, Scottish, UK, and international levels identifies emerging trends and changes in trafficking and exploitation activities
• Improved understanding of drivers and risk factors at individual, community and structural level is shared with stakeholders and used to inform prevention activities
• The effectiveness of activities to prevent trafficking in Scotland is monitored and identifies where improvement is needed across all outcomes of the Strategy
• Research provides insights into the conditions, responses and prevention of trafficking into, within, and outside of Scotland.

Intervening early

• Improve data to understand the challenges in meeting outcomes in Scotland
• Regular monitoring and evaluation of support and service provision using survivor-informed outcomes leads to improved delivery
• Lived experience influences and shapes strategic actions across all Outcome levels
• Efficient use is made of existing data collected by local authorities, law enforcement and Scottish and UK authorities.

Treating harms and supporting recovery

• Learning in local areas is shared across Scotland through a community of practice to inform improved anti-trafficking activities and support for victims
• Data needs are identified for those cohorts at high risk of exploitation
• Data, research and information from Scotland is shared internationally in order to contribute to wider anti-trafficking initiatives.

Outcome 4: Conditions that expose children, adults and communities in Scotland to increased risks of trafficking and retrafficking are addressed

This outcome aligns with the overall prevention framework of a Public Health approach as well as existing Government strategies that seek to ensure a safer and fairer Scotland. Efforts directed towards the prevention of trafficking and exploitation will continue to span community, Scottish, UK and international levels.

Before harm occurs

• Awareness of trafficking and exploitation is raised and a systematic approach to training across the public and third sectors is taken
• Community resilience is strengthened through partnership working and peer support including targeted support for communities and individuals at risk
• The private and public sectors strengthen their commitment to improving transparency in supply chains from production to sale and address risks identified
• Improve co-ordination in relevant policy sectors to deliver a whole system approach to trafficking and exploitation
• Identify policy areas where early interventions can reduce known factors that increase the risk of trafficking and exploitation.

Intervening early

• Public, private, third sector and civil society have the required awareness to identify and report trafficking and exploitation
• Sector-specific and targeted trafficking risk analysis is carried out and appropriate measures are taken to address the risks when identified
• Risks of trafficking are reduced through criminal justice and third sector partnerships within key source countries.

Treating harms and supporting recovery

• Service providers deliver appropriate long-term support to victims, including by fostering resilience, and promoting social integration to prevent retrafficking
• Victims will be supported with opportunities to rebuild their lives.