Scotland's Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy 2025

Definitions

Human trafficking: The action of recruiting, transporting/transferring, harbouring or receiving, exchanging or transferring control over another person, including children and young people, with a view to that person being exploited.

Exploitation: Taking advantage of someone, in particular the act of taking unjust advantage of another for one’s own benefit.

Modern slavery: A term used to describe several types of exploitation including human trafficking, slavery, servitude, and forced or compulsory labour.

• Asylum seeker/person seeking asylum: A person who has made an application to the United Kingdom (UK) government for international protection (asylum) under the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and is waiting to receive a decision from the Home Office on their application or from a court in relation to an appeal.
• Child: Any person under 18 years of age.
• Competent Authorities: The Home Office bodies that are responsible for taking decisions on cases referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) about whether the cases are recognised as confirmed victims of human trafficking or slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour.
• Conclusive grounds decision: A decision taken by a competent authority as to whether, on the balance of probabilities, a person is a victim of human trafficking or slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour.
• County lines: A term used in the UK to describe gangs and organised criminal networks involved in exporting illegal drugs into one or more importing areas (within the UK), using dedicated mobile phone lines or other forms of ‘deal line’. This often involves the exploitation of children and vulnerable adults to move and store the drugs and money through the use of coercion, intimidation and violence.
• Criminal exploitation: Victims, including children and young people, are deceived, coerced or forced into criminal activities such as drug cultivation, drug distribution, cuckooing, forced begging, pickpocketing, theft, or selling counterfeit goods and fraud – often taking advantage of a power imbalance under threat or deception.
• Cuckooing: The practice whereby a person takes over another person’s dwelling (often the home of a vulnerable person, such as an individual living with substance addiction or physical or mental disabilities) to use it for illegal activities and is often associated with anti-social behaviour and the exploitation of children by criminal gangs.
• Debt bondage: A form of control utilised by perpetrators to retain control over victims of human trafficking. Victims are exploited in order to ‘pay off’ a debt which may be related to gifts or other goods provided to them or their travel to a destination country.
• Domestic servitude: Adults or children are exploited within private homes, often as domestic workers. Victims may experience restricted movement, long working hours, and minimal or no pay.
• First responder: An authority that is authorised by the Home Office to refer a potential victim of human trafficking into the National Referral Mechanism (NRM).
• Labour exploitation: Victims are deceived, coerced or sometimes forced to work for little or no pay, often through violence, intimidation, debt, confiscation of documents, control of bank accounts or threats about their immigration status.
• National Referral Mechanism (NRM): The UK-wide framework for identifying victims of human trafficking and ensuring they receive appropriate support.
• People smuggling: Involves the facilitation of a person’s illegal entry into a State, for a financial or other material benefit.
• Perpetrator(s): The individual(s) responsible for human trafficking and exploitation.
• Potential victim of trafficking: A person who may be a victim of human trafficking at any stage of identification prior to a conclusive grounds decision via the NRM.
• Reasonable grounds decision: The initial decision taken by the competent authority that there are reasonable grounds to believe, based on all available general and specific evidence but falling short of conclusive proof, that the person is a victim of human trafficking or slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour.
• Refugee: A person who has been recognised as having a well-founded fear of persecution in their country of origin for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside their country of nationality, and is unable or unwilling to avail themselves to the protection of that country and is unable or owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it, under the 1951 UN Refugee Convention definition.
• Removal of organs: Where a person is encouraged, required or expected to have their organs or human tissue removed for the benefit of another person.
• Serious organised crime: Crime which involves more than one person; is organised, meaning that it involves control, planning and potentially use of specialist resources; causes, or has the potential to cause significant harm; and involves financial or other benefit to the individuals concerned.
• Sexual exploitation: Victims are deceived, coerced, or forced into sexual activity including, but not limited to, child sexual abuse, prostitution, pornography or lap dancing, often taking advantage of a power imbalance under threat, manipulation, or violence.
• Survivor leader: A person who uses their lived experience to lead and influence change.
• Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children: A child who is separated from both parents and is applying for asylum in the UK. Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children are looked after and accommodated by local authorities as children in need.