Scotland's Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy 2025

Annex C: Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy: Policy Alignment

A number of Scottish Government strategies and policies align closely with the aims of the Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy. The list below highlights some of these key areas. and points to some of the legislation, polices and frameworks which will support the Strategy during implementation.

Serious Organised Crime Strategy

The ‘Serious and Organised Crime Strategy’^[49] focuses on strengthening the links between intelligence and operational response through use of the information in the Scottish Multi-Agency Strategic Threat Assessment (SMASTA). The Strategy’s aim is to reduce serious organised crime and the harm it causes through collaboration among various sectors. Its four key objectives are to:

• divert people away from becoming involved in serious organised crime and using its products
• deter serious organised crime groups by supporting private, public and third sector organisations to protect themselves and each other
• detect and prosecute those involved in serious organised crime
• disrupt serious organised crime groups.

The Serious Organised Crime Taskforce (SOCT) continues to review its membership to adapt to emerging needs when required, but there is a need for collective responsibility from individuals, businesses, and organisations to prevent harm and make Scotland a hostile place for serious organised crime groups to operate.

Human trafficking is a significant aspect of serious organised crime in Scotland, necessitating a strong link between both strategies. The Serious Organised Crime Strategy and the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015 are closely aligned in their goals of protecting vulnerable individuals, disrupting criminal networks, and ensuring that traffickers are held accountable. Through co-ordinated efforts, intelligence-sharing, victim protection and prevention, both strategies play a vital role in addressing the complex nature of human trafficking within the broader context of serious organised crime.

Equally Safe – Preventing and Eradicating Violence Against Women and Girls

‘Equally Safe’^[50] is Scotland’s Strategy for preventing and eradicating violence against women and girls (VAWG) and addressing the underlying attitudes and systems that perpetuate it. It aims to ensure women and girls live free from violence, abuse and exploitation. The strategy approaches VAWG as a major public health issue, and therefore takes a public health approach in tackling it. The Strategy focuses on preventing VAWG before it occurs. Recognising the impact of societal, community and relationship factors on women and girls’ lives is key to preventing and addressing VAWG. A new delivery plan was published in spring 2024 which outlines the tangible actions that must be taken to tackle violence against women and girls in Scotland.

Prostitution: Strategy for Challenging and Deterring Men’s Demand

Scotland’s strategic approach to challenging and deterring men’s demand for prostitution and supporting the recovery and sustainable exit of those involved in prostitution^[51] sets out the Scottish Government’s collective approach, working with stakeholders across the wider public and third sector, to challenge and deter men’s demand for prostitution and support those with experience of it. It is underpinned by policy principles which aim to improve policy cohesion across the government and wider public sector.

The strategic approach recognises the links to wider forms of violence against women and girls and commercial sexual exploitation, including human trafficking. A key element of the strategy is to improve support for those with experience of commercial sexual exploitation.

Children (Scotland) Act 1995 and the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014

The Children (Scotland) Act 1995^[52] (‘the 1995 Act’) and the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014^[53] (‘the 2014 Act’) are central to promoting the welfare and rights of children in Scotland. The 1995 Act is centred on the needs of children and their families and defines both parental responsibilities and rights in relation to children. It sets out the main duties and powers available to public authorities to support children and their families and to intervene when the child’s welfare requires. The 2014 Act builds on this by strengthening children’s rights. It is underpinned by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), and the national approach, Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC), which ensures a co-ordinated approach to promoting, supporting, and safeguarding children’s wellbeing.

The Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015 complements existing children’s legislation by recognising unaccompanied asylum-seeking and trafficked children as a particularly vulnerable group and providing specialist support through measures such as the Independent Child Trafficking Guardian (ICTG) service. Together, the implementation of these legislative frameworks creates a cohesive approach to protecting children at risk.

National Guidance for Child Protection

The ‘National Guidance for Child Protection 2021, updated 2023’ describes the responsibilities and expectations of everyone who works with children, young people and their families in Scotland. The Guidance, which informs the development of local multi-agency child protection by diverting children from exploitation or providing relevant procedures, processes and training, supports the care and protection of children across Scotland. There is a stronger emphasis on the range of issues that impact on the wellbeing and safety of children, including the importance of assessing the impact of all structural factors as part of all care and protection planning.

The Guidance advises that a child victim of human trafficking is a victim of child abuse and therefore, an immediate child protection response is required. It also recognises the intersection of child exploitation, trafficking, extra-familial risks, and child protection processes, noting the need to consider wider relationships and the location of harm when managing and reducing the risks to the child in cases of exploitation.

Getting it Right for Every Child

Getting It Right for Every Child^[54] (GIRFEC) is Scotland’s national policy framework designed to improve outcomes and support the wellbeing of children and young people. It provides a consistent, rights-based approach to child welfare, ensuring that children receive the right support at the right time. GIRFEC is built on key principles, including early intervention, collaboration between services, and a holistic view of a child’s wellbeing. Central to the approach is the SHANARRI wellbeing indicators – Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible, and Included – which guide decision-making across education, health, and social care to ensure every child has the opportunity to thrive.

Vision for Justice in Scotland

Scotland’s ‘Vision for Justice’^[55], published in 2022, sets out the Government’s ambition to create a just, safe, and resilient society. It envisions a Scotland where people live in safer, more tolerant, and inclusive communities, free from inequality and hate. The vision is guided by four key principles: promoting equality and human rights, using evidence-based approaches, embedding person-centred and trauma-informed practices, and fostering collaboration and partnership.

For victims of human trafficking, the commitment to a person-centred and trauma-informed approach is particularly significant and is a key focus of the transformational change programme. Person-centred justice services ensure that individuals’ needs and values are respected, and that communication is clear and timely, helping people navigate complex justice processes. Individuals and their families are actively involved in decisions that affect them, recognising that they are the experts in their own lives. Within the boundaries of legal frameworks and justice processes, this approach ensures that people are treated as individuals rather than as part of a system. Above all, it emphasises empathy, kindness, and the provision of appropriate support to those who need it.

Youth Justice Vision

The ‘Vision for Youth Justice’, as previously published in June 2021, was updated and re-launched on 19 June 2024. The updated Vision reiterates the priorities of supporting delivery of a whole system approach to preventing offending by children in Scotland; upholding children’s rights; ensuring children play an active role in shaping the services and supports which affect them; addressing barriers to engagement; gathering and analysing robust data on children and young people; and offering prevention and early intervention support to families, children and young people, including mental health support.

It reflects the changing landscape and the ongoing commitment to keeping the Promise; implementation of the Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Act 2024 and, in particular, provisions around ending the use of young offender institutions (YOIs) for under 18s and support for victims, alongside implementation of the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024. It also recognises policy drivers and future impacts of a potential rise in the age of criminal responsibility, recommendations from the reimagining secure accommodation work and the wider care planning needs of children, and the hearings system redesign work.

The Action Plan, for delivery of the priorities within the Vision, has been designed as a rolling document, with flexibility built in to address key policy changes as they emerge. The Plan was updated throughout 2024 and published in January 2025, and can be viewed on the Youth Justice Improvement Board website.

Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007

All adults who are at risk of harm have the fundamental right to be safe and protected. The Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act^[56] was introduced to safeguard individuals who are unable to protect their own interests due to disability, mental disorder, illness, physical or mental infirmity. The Act defines harm broadly, covering all types of harm, including self-harm and neglect. It requires councils and public bodies to work together to support and protect adults who may be unable to safeguard themselves, their property, or their rights, balancing the need to intervene with an adult’s right to live as independently as possible.

The principles of the Act emphasises the importance of striking a balance between an individual’s right to freedom of choice and the risk of harm to that individual. Any intervention must be reasonable and proportionate. The Code of Practice, published under the Act, includes clearer guidance on contextual capacity and delivering services in a trauma-informed way.

The Scottish Government provides guidance and support to ensure that those with responsibilities under the Act can effectively carry out their duties. This is achieved by enhancing legislation, policy, and practice to ensure a robust system of adult support and protection. The Adult Support and Protection Code of Practice^[57] was updated in July 2022 to ensure that adults at risk are actively involved in decisions about their care, treatment, and support. At the same time, updated Adult Support and Protection Guidance for General Practice^[58] was published to help healthcare professionals effectively recognise and respond to adult protection concerns.

New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy

The ‘New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy’^[59] supports the integration of refugees and people seeking asylum within Scotland’s communities by addressing barriers and access to essential services. It promotes community cohesion and seeks to reduce the social isolation that can exacerbate vulnerability. The Strategy aims to reduce these vulnerabilities through a number of means, including by improving access to safe housing, healthcare, education and employment. The New Scots Strategy’s emphasis on community awareness and professional training overlaps with the trafficking strategy’s efforts to ensure frontline workers can recognise and respond to indicators of trafficking in vulnerable populations.

Getting it Right for Everyone

‘Getting it Right for Everyone’^[60] (GIRFE) is a multi-agency practice model designed to improve access to support and services from young adulthood through to end-of-life care. Developed collaboratively, GIRFE has been co-designed with place-based pathfinders and a range of partners. These include health and social care professionals from local authorities across Scotland, who have worked closely with the GIRFE policy team and the Office of the Chief Designer within the Scottish Government. This partnership ensures that the practice model reflects the needs of individuals and incorporates the insights of those with lived experience.

GIRFE aims to create a more personalised and consistent way for people to access help and support when they need it. At its core, the approach ensures that individuals remain central to all decision-making processes that affect them, regardless of the type or level of support required at any stage of life. By fostering a joined-up, person-led approach, GIRFE will shape the future practice model for health, social care, and public sector professionals, helping to design and deliver services that effectively meet people’s needs.

Violence Reduction

The Scottish Government uses a public health approach to tackle violence, treating violence as a symptom alongside multiple complex harms. To strengthen efforts to prevent violence and reduce its harm, the ‘Violence Prevention Framework for Scotland’ was published in May 2023. The Framework sits alongside and complements other government strategies, including but not limited to, Equally Safe, child poverty, suicide prevention and hate crime. Implementation of the Violence Prevention Framework is included in our Programme for Government, and forms part of the three-year delivery plan for the Vision for Justice in Scotland. It includes an action plan with a range of activities to deliver in partnership through the violence reduction partner organisations including the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit, Medics Against Violence and YouthLink Scotland’s No Knives Better Lives. One of the activities within the Action Plan, includes a commitment to expand the use of Hospital Navigators, who work in Emergency Departments, to intervene and support individuals away from violence and its harm. These navigators have received awareness training in human trafficking and exploitation so they can also identify and support people affected by these types of crime. The first annual ‘Progress Report’, published in September 2024, highlights some of the progress being made over 2023-24.

Ending Destitution Together Strategy

Launched in March 2021 by the Scottish Government and COSLA, the ‘Ending Destitution Together Strategy’^[61] aims to create a humane and supportive environment for people with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF), who face restrictions on accessing public support due to their immigration status. It seeks to prevent and mitigate destitution, uphold human rights, and strengthen communities by aligning with wider Scottish policies tackling poverty and inequality. The strategy focuses on ensuring a basic safety net in crises, reducing barriers to support, and preventing individuals from being passed between services without resolution. It supports inclusive opportunities for people to contribute to society and realise their ambitions. In line with Article 25(1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that everyone in Scotland can access fundamental rights, as reflected in initiatives like Ending Homelessness Together, action on food insecurity, GIRFEC, and a rights-based social security system. The strategy is framed around three core principles: Prevention, providing early support before crisis; Partnership, fostering collaboration across public and third sectors; and Personalisation, ensuring responses are tailored to individual needs rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Destitution is a significant risk factor for trafficking, as those experiencing extreme hardship are more vulnerable to exploitation. The Ending Destitution Together Strategy aligns with the Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy by offering support to individuals at risk, reducing their vulnerability to trafficking and retrafficking.

National Performance Framework

The ‘National Performance Framework’^[62] (NPF) serves as Scotland’s approach to measuring wellbeing. It outlines a vision for the country, with broad national outcomes that support this vision. The NPF combines economic progress with various indicators of wellbeing to assess Scotland’s overall progress. The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015^[63] mandates public authorities to consider the national outcomes in their work, with a review of these outcomes required every five years. The Scottish Parliament’s inquiry into the most recent review of the National Outcomes and National Performance Framework concluded in January 2025 and the Deputy First Minister has committed to “look again at every aspect of the National Performance Framework to support the development and implementation of a stronger and more strategic and impactful framework for Scotland.”

Through focusing on the protection of vulnerable individuals, the Trafficking Strategy helps to advance Scotland’s commitment to safeguarding the most disadvantaged members of society and reducing exploitation. Additionally, the Strategy’s emphasis on collaboration between government, law enforcement, and non-governmental organisations reflects the NPF’s value of working together to improve people’s lives and enhance wellbeing across the nation.

Equality Act 2010 and Public Sector Equality Duty

The Equality Act 2010^[64] bans direct and indirect discrimination, harassment, and victimisation based on characteristics such as age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion, sex, and more. Victims of trafficking and exploitation who fall within the protected groups are covered under the Act. The ‘Public Sector Equality Duty’^[65] (PSED), enshrined in the Act, requires public authorities to consider the need to eliminate discrimination and promote equality in their operations. The Scottish Government has used its powers to set specific equality duties for public authorities, which must report on their progress. The government’s 2023 Equality and Mainstreaming Report outlines its efforts to advance equality, including improving the PSED framework in Scotland. By addressing systemic barriers that prevent access to services, the PSED helps reduce inequalities, reduce racial disparities, and ensure justice.

Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy

Scotland’s ‘Mental Health and Well-being Strategy’^[66], published in June 2023, aims to improve mental health for everyone in Scotland. This strategy sets out key outcomes aimed at reducing inequalities, improving quality of life, increasing knowledge and access to support, strengthening community resilience, and ensuring effective cross-policy action. It prioritises timely, person-centred care, evidence-based policy, and a skilled, sustainable workforce across sectors.

To achieve these goals, the Scottish Government will promote positive mental health, prevent issues from arising or escalating, and ensure accessible, high-quality support and services. The strategy places a strong emphasis on early intervention, prevention, and tackling inequalities. The related Delivery Plan^[67] will outline the specific actions taken in collaboration with people with lived experience, practitioners, and key stakeholders, ensuring continuous improvement and alignment with national policy priorities. This approach aims to create a sustainable, inclusive, and effective mental health system for all.

National Trauma Transformation Programme

The National Trauma Transformation Programme^[68] (NTTP) is funded by the Scottish Government and delivered in partnership with COSLA, NHS Education for Scotland (NES), the Improvement Service (IS) and the Resilience Learning Partnership (RLP). Scotland has paved the way in creating a vision of a trauma-informed and responsive workforce and services that can recognise where people are affected by trauma and adversity, and that respond in ways that prevent further harm, support recovery, address inequalities and improve life chances.

NES contribute to the development of a wide range of learning resources, guidance and implementation support for all sectors of the workforce, including leaders, to up-skill staff to the appropriate level of trauma-informed and responsive practice and, critically, to embed and sustain this model of working. Both the NTTP and Trafficking Strategy are fundamentally concerned with safeguarding and supporting vulnerable individuals. The NTTP is about creating systems and practices that are trauma-sensitive, which aligns with the needs of trafficking survivors.

Alcohol and Drug Treatment Strategy: Rights, Respect and Recovery

The ‘Drug and Alcohol Support Strategy, “Rights, Respect, and Recovery” ’^[69] aims to create a country where individuals, families, and communities can live healthy lives, free from the harms of alcohol and drugs. This is achieved through a public health-led approach focused on prevention, reducing health inequalities, and supporting recovery. Key actions include promoting a whole-population shift in attitudes towards alcohol, embedding a human rights-based, person-centred response, and prioritising those most at risk.

The strategy also emphasises a public health approach in justice settings to reduce harm and divert vulnerable individuals from the system. Delivery is guided by evidence and lived experience, with collaboration across government, health boards, local authorities, justice agencies, and community partners to ensure continuous improvement.

No One Left Behind: Employability Strategic Plan

‘No One Left Behind’^[70] is the Scottish Government’s shared approach to delivering an all-age, place-based, person-centred model of employability support in Scotland. It promotes a strengthened partnership approach where Scottish and Local Government work together with public, private, and third sector organisations to design and deliver services.

The Scottish Government aims to build an employability system that tackles inequalities in Scotland’s labour market by creating more responsive, joined up and aligned services which meet the needs of employers and local labour markets, whilst helping people of all ages access fair and sustainable work. No One Left Behind services focus on those who are further from the labour market and face barriers to entering employment. Social and economic inequalities are major risk factors for both unemployment and exploitation.

Housing to 2040 Strategy

The ‘Housing to 2040 Strategy’^[71] is Scotland’s long-term strategy that positions housing as a critical element of the nation’s social and economic future, with the goal of ensuring that by 2040 everyone has access to affordable, high-quality, energy-efficient homes. The strategy prioritises addressing housing inequality, eradicating homelessness, and fostering sustainable communities. It recognises that housing is not solely about the availability of physical structures but is also connected to broader social factors such as poverty, inequality, and access to essential services.

Housing insecurity, including homelessness, increases vulnerability and social exclusion, making it more difficult for individuals to break free from cycles of poverty or exploitation. Lack of stable housing can heighten the risk of individuals being trafficked or exploited, as desperation and limited choices leave them more vulnerable.