Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy: fifth progress report

Section 1: Action Area 1 – Identify victims and support them to safety and recovery

Human trafficking and exploitation can occur anywhere in the world, including Scotland. Victims of this horrific crime are some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

Action Area 1 brings together key partners from across Scotland and beyond to improve support for victims and develop further pathways to access help. The group also leads on awareness raising of human trafficking across public and professional networks. Action Area 1 is chaired by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA).

Membership of the group includes:

• British Red Cross
• COSLA
• Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS)
• Guardianship Scotland
• Hope for Justice
• Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner (IASC)
• Justice and Care
• JustRight Scotland
• Migrant Help
• NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (Glasgow Psychological Trauma Service)
• Police Scotland
• Public Health Scotland
• Scottish Business Resilience Centre
• Scottish Government (human trafficking policy, child protection policy, homelessness policy)
• Scottish Refugee Council
• Survivors of Human Trafficking in Scotland (SOHTIS)
• Trafficking Awareness Raising Alliance (TARA).

Action Area 1 - fourth progress report

The fourth progress report was published in January 2022. Since then, Scotland has continued to see a significant rise in the number of cases submitted to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM)1.

The previous progress report set out a number of priorities for the Action Area 1 group, including:

• refreshed and improved targeting of our existing resources
• development of a strategic approach to awareness raising, including improved use of data
• continuing to assess emerging United Kingdom (UK) Government legislation.

Key outcome: People who encounter victims understand signs, know what to do and have access to specialist advice and support

Ensuring that indicators of human trafficking are recognised and handled appropriately continues to be a significant focus. Many victims do not consider their situation to be one of exploitation, while others may be reticent to seek help for a range of reasons.

While public awareness campaigns have not featured prominently in the reporting period, awareness raising and training opportunities have continued to be provided by Action Area 1 members for professionals who may come into contact with victims or those at risk of human trafficking.

Justice and Care’s Victim Navigators (see page 18 for more information) provided training to 699 individuals, including 325 police and law enforcement representatives. This included a wide range of delivery points, including response officers, Border Force at Glasgow Airport, Police Scotland at Edinburgh Airport, officers based at divisions across Police Scotland, police officers attending the Human Trafficking Investigators course and at a Police Scotland Human Trafficking Champions meeting.

Victim Navigators have also provided training to 374 other partners, including new staff members at Migrant Help, and UK Home Office Single Competent Authority (SCA) decision makers.

Training inputs covered an overview of Justice and Care and the role of Victim Navigators, best practice for victim identification and care, the NRM, and the importance of a trauma-informed approach. As part of training for law enforcement, Navigators provided case work examples of how they can provide strategic advice to police and how it assisted police in specific cases. Training evaluation has been positive, with more than 9 in 10 attendees indicating that the training had improved their knowledge significantly in relation to the needs of trafficking victims and how to improve support offered. A majority of those responding to post-training evaluations also indicated that they would engage Navigators where appropriate.

Over the reporting period Survivors of Human Trafficking in Scotland (SOHTIS) trained more than 2,000 practitioners from statutory, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and corporate sectors in human trafficking awareness, identification and referral pathways. SOHTIS also provided a second-tier support service to assist in the implementation of training and for any frontline worker who had concerns about human trafficking. Through this service SOHTIS has provided direct and indirect support facilitating over 100 identifications and recoveries of potential victims of human trafficking spanning local authority areas including Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Clackmannanshire, Falkirk, Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, and North Ayrshire.

SOHTIS developed a partnership response to human trafficking in Edinburgh. This has included over 60 partners and resulted in a city Anti-Human Trafficking Power in Partnership Action Plan. The delivery of this Plan has resulted in SOHTIS working with partners at City of Edinburgh Council teams including, Refugee & Migration, Social Work, Adult Protection and Housing, Police Scotland’s National Human Trafficking Unit and E Division, HMP Edinburgh, a wide range of NGOs and Edinburgh Airport staff, Border Force, Police Scotland.

SOHTIS has invested significant resources in the identification of potential victims amongst the homeless population in Edinburgh and has partnered with Simon Community Scotland to emulate the innovative work of The Passage in London, creating Scotland’s first joint homelessness and human trafficking role. Combining the expertise of both organisations has resulted in the recovery of 43 victims of human trafficking in 2024. The success of this approach has been recognised, winning the Partnership Award of the Year Award2 at the annual Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) Awards.

This work has been extended to include unaccompanied, age disputed, trafficked minors being identified in adult temporary accommodation resulting in barriers to them accessing statutory services. SOHTIS has successfully advocated for them to be appropriately age-assessed and transferred from adult to children’s services including to Guardianship Scotland Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (ICTG).

The Trafficking Awareness Raising Alliance (TARA) has provided awareness sessions to 2,754 persons utilising a variety of delivery methods. This has included online inputs and in-person sessions at designated venues. In-person sessions have been held at NHS Stobhill Hospital Department of Psychiatry with more than 60 trainee consultants. Several similar sessions were delivered to staff at Right There Housing, the Street Pastors National Conference, representatives from the Night Time Economy in Glasgow (Best Bar None), Scottish Police College Human Trafficking Detective training course, Glasgow City Council Community Enforcement Officers, Newton Mearns Baptist Church, New Lanarkshire College, Glasgow Caledonian University, University of Glasgow, City of Glasgow College, community lecturers and social work students.

A significant number of presentations have been delivered to various local authorities across Scotland with some requesting that these form an ongoing part of their annual training framework to raise awareness for their newly appointed staff. TARA have supported this in the Scottish Borders, Dumfries & Galloway, South Lanarkshire, East Dunbartonshire Violence Against Women (VAW)/Public Protection Unit and City of Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership’s (HSCP) North West Forum.

Case Study - Operation Altercation

During the period covered by this report, TARA supported 2 women to continue to cooperate with the criminal justice process, with one woman successfully giving evidence against her human traffickers in court. Both women have been supported by TARA since being recovered by Police Scotland in late 2019 and early 2020 (separate days of action) and both received support including safe accommodation, access to legal advice, health care, financial support, advocacy, welfare rights/employment advice and guidance.

Both women now have positive conclusive decisions via the NRM, leave to remain and both, with the support of JustRight Scotland, have been awarded criminal injuries compensation. They have settled well in Scotland and have successfully moved on with their lives and no longer require TARA support.

TARA and Police Scotland’s Greater Glasgow Human Trafficking Unit worked together closely to respond to women’s concerns, reassure them, help them to continue to feel safe (including when at court to give evidence) and encourage their continued cooperation. Ultimately all 4 of the co-accused were found guilty with a combined sentence of 31 years.

TARA assisted both women to achieve the following outcomes:

Immediate safety – early provision of safe accommodation, legal advice, primary health care, financial support, risk assessment and safety planning, police liaison and requests for ongoing support, including with personal safety both in the community and when attending court to give evidence.

Community Integration – support to access asylum support, ESOL, Yoga, Glasgow Psychological Trauma Service, Asylum Health and Bridging Team, Victim Support Scotland, Refuweegee, MiFi/smart phone and locally based social supports.

Increased Independence/personal responsibility – Time2Learn English, ESOL register (Glasgow), independent travel, ability to maintain appointments and contact with other supports e.g. JustRight Scotland, regular welfare and emotional support.

Improved Understanding of Legal Processes – legal advice (both women supported by JustRight Scotland), NRM advocacy, Criminal justice advocacy, special measures and in person support to attend court, Asylum advocacy, welfare rights, mainstream social housing support and employment rights.

Online inputs have been delivered to HSCPs and VAW representatives from various local authorities as well as medical students, perinatal doctors, Serco NorthLink Ferries, NHS Health Visitors, Street Assist Edinburgh volunteers and new employees at the Scottish Refugee Council. One online presentation was delivered to around 210 representatives from the UK Home Office Single Competent Authority. Some sessions have been delivered and recorded and thereafter circulated within local authorities, universities, and the NHS. This meant sessions were able to reach a wider audience by allowing those who could not attend the live session to access the training at a time convenient to them.

TARA, alongside COSLA and the Scottish Government, have provided support to Scottish Borders Council (SBC) to develop internal processes underpinning a pilot, embedding the NRM Toolkit3 published in 2021, within their operational activity. A small working group was convened by SBC which TARA attended alongside COSLA and the Scottish Government. TARA supported an initial workshop to assist SBC’s review of their response to adult and child potential victims of trafficking and subsequently provided inputs to SBC’s tiered approach to training, in collaboration with Migrant Help and the Glasgow Psychological Trauma Service. These inputs supported two half day online sessions, both of which received excellent feedback. Thereafter, a full day’s session was delivered in-person in Galashiels. This event comprised representatives from a range of roles within the local authority, Police Scotland and local health practitioners. TARA contributed significant resources to planning, preparation time and attendance at meetings to support and achieve delivery of each of the training tiers and the overall pilot.

Further training has been delivered across the reporting period by Migrant Help, with a focus on raising awareness of human trafficking and how to access support for victims. Migrant Help developed a “roadshow” which visited six locations across Scotland to improve knowledge amongst frontline practitioners of the services Migrant Help offer.

The roadshow was delivered as a partnership between Migrant Help’s Trafficking and Exploitation Survivor’s Service (TESS) and Migrant Help’s AIRE (Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility)asylum services, with each service raising awareness of the support on offer to both trafficking victims, as well as asylum-seeking individuals, across Scotland. The sessions were well attended by key stakeholders, including police, local authorities, health services and NGOs. Presentations were given in Glasgow, Edinburgh, East Kilbride, Perth, Stirling, and Aberdeen, raising awareness of the subject matters and also providing information on support pathways.

The Glasgow Psychological Trauma Service has continued to work with partner organisations to identify training needs and provide input to aid understanding of the mental health consequences of trauma in victims of trafficking and in promoting trauma-informed practice.

The Glasgow Psychological Trauma Service and TARA have developed a joint training package, which has been piloted with a range of professionals in both face-to-face and remote delivery settings. The training aims to increase awareness of the scale and impact of human trafficking in Scotland, to help staff recognise the signs and report, to understand the mental health impact of trafficking experiences and how to signpost people to mental health services in a trauma-informed way when indicated. The training has been delivered to police officers, domestic abuse workers, an NHS perinatal team, and housing support workers, and has received positive feedback to date with increasing demand for further sessions. While the joint training package developed with TARA was received positively and generated high levels of interest, the Glasgow Psychological Trauma Service did not have capacity to roll out the training, particularly where travel was involved. In response to this, the Glasgow Psychological Trauma Service recorded a video segment that is incorporated into the training.

In November 2023 the Glasgow Psychological Trauma Service delivered NHS Education for Scotland (NES) Safety and Stabilisation training to staff from TARA and Migrant Help. This retained the core components of the Safety and Stabilisation NES training resource, but was adapted in terms of case studies and in discussions around how both the theory and practice applies to victims of trafficking, asylum seekers and refugees.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) continued to apply the Lord Advocate’s instructions4 to ensure that victims of trafficking, slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour, who have been compelled to commit criminal offences as a consequence thereof, are not prosecuted. The instructions were last updated on 15 January 2024.

The revised instructions consider, amongst other matters, recommendations made by the Department for the Execution of Judgements and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), and evolving trends in trafficking and exploitation. The revisions highlight evolving trends such as county lines offences, cuckooing and sexual exploitation online. In addition, to assist prosecutors in identifying those at risk of exploitation, reference to the Practitioner Guidance on Criminal Exploitation5 produced by the “Divert 3” Sub-Group of the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce has been inserted into the Lord Advocate’s instructions with relevant links to the guidance. The list of indicators, provided within the guidance to assist with identifying victims including illustrating the types of scenarios that could indicate an individual is being exploited, have also been inserted.

The revised instructions provide greater understanding and raise awareness of the different types of trafficking and exploitation that exist and highlight that such offending does not always, and often will not, have an international aspect.

The updated instructions make it clear that prosecutors must wait for the Conclusive Grounds Decision (CGD) before making a final decision on whether to prosecute an accused person. However, prosecutors can exercise their discretion to decide not to prosecute an accused person as soon as the evidence and/or public interest supports that decision, without waiting for the CGD. Prosecutors can, therefore, (after making appropriate further inquiries to ensure that all relevant information has been obtained, including the Reasonable Grounds Decision (RGD), and consideration of all relevant factors in accordance with the Prosecution Code), take no action or discontinue proceedings before the CGD is received where it is in the public interest to do so in all of the circumstances of the particular case after receiving authority from the National Lead Prosecutor.

Making the above clearer to prosecutors ensures that, where possible, such individuals will not be subject to lengthy periods of remand or bail and involvement in the prosecution process whilst the CGD is awaited. The approach permits the removal of those vulnerable accused people from the prosecution process at a much earlier stage in proceedings than may happen at present.

In addition, the instructions now specify prosecutors may raise or continue proceedings despite a positive CGD only if there are clear reasons, which are consistent with the definition of trafficking contained in the Palermo Protocol and the Anti-Trafficking Convention6, for disagreeing with it and that clear reasons for recommending and approving the decision to prosecute the individual contrary to the NRM decision must be recorded in the report to the National Lead Prosecutor.

The Lord Advocate’s instructions are complemented by a clearly defined structure to ensure consistency and expertise in decision-making. When prosecutors suspect that an accused person may be a victim of trafficking or exploitation, they are instructed to submit a report to the National Lead Prosecutor for Human Trafficking and Exploitation. The report addresses whether the test in the Lord Advocate’s instructions is met and what further steps are appropriate in light of that conclusion. The number of reports submitted to the National Lead Prosecutor has risen year on year since the implementation of the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015. The National Lead Prosecutor, a highly experienced High Court prosecutor, carefully considers the facts and circumstances of each individual case and makes the final decision on whether the test in the Lord Advocate’s instructions has been satisfied.

All internal guidance and mandatory specialist training for COPFS staff and prosecutors on identifying victims of trafficking and exploitation has been revised to reflect the updated instructions and to provide more specific and in-depth guidance on domestic trafficking and exploitation to ensure prosecutors consider all types of trafficking and exploitation when considering reports provided by police. This is to ensure potential victims are identified at the earliest opportunity. The internal training is mandatory, and all staff and prosecutors are required to take the updated training.

COPFS also entered into a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in October 2023 with the Trafficking Awareness Raising Alliance (TARA) and Migrant Help.

The MoU relates to support available to potential victims of human trafficking or exploitation on their liberation from prison or court to ensure they receive adequate assistance immediately upon release.

There is associated guidance for prosecutors which details the actions they must take to ensure that as far as possible, potential victims of human trafficking or exploitation are supported immediately when they leave prison or custody.

Lord Advocate’s Instructions

	1 April 2021 – 31 March 2022	1 April 2022 – 31 March 2023	1 April 2023 – 31 March 2024	1 April 2024 – 31 October 2024*
Number of cases reported to the National Lead Prosecutor for human trafficking for consideration of taking no action or discontinuing proceedings on the basis of the Lord Advocate’s Instructions	54	99	98	87*
Number of accused persons	73	140	130	114*
To date, number of accused persons in regard to whom no action or no further action was taken on the basis that the test within the Lord Advocate’s Instructions was met	45	42	20	17*

*Data is for a part-year only.

Key outcome: coherent person/child-centred support process that enables victims to recover and build resilience

The Victim-Centred Approach Fund (VCAF) provides funding for victim support organisations and is a central pillar of the Scottish Government’s commitment to placing victims at the heart of the justice system by improving the range of advice, information and support available. Through the VCAF, 23 organisations are benefitting from £48m7 of grant funding over the period 1 April 2022-31 March 2025. Of these organisations, six providers directly supporting victims of human trafficking recieve funding. From 1 April 2025, the VCAF has become part of of the Scottish Government’s Fairer Funding pilot. All six human trafficking support organisations will continue to recieve funding until 31 March 2027, subject to the necessary Parliamentary approval.

Through the VCAF, the Scottish Government has continued to fund Migrant Help and TARA to deliver crisis support for potential victims of human trafficking and exploitation in Scotland. Migrant Help offers support to all adult victims of human trafficking (excluding those supported by TARA) wherever they are recovered in Scotland. TARA offers support to female victims of trafficking for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation, reflecting the particular impacts on this group of survivors, wherever they are recovered in Scotland. Support can include accommodation, assistance with day-to-day living, access to medical advice and treatment including psychological help, language translation and interpretation, counselling, access to legal advice, help reaching other services and, if the victim wishes, repatriation.

Both organisations received a significant uplift in funding following the outcome of the VCAF application process. Migrant Help (£4.485m across 2022-2025) and TARA (£1.866m) reflected the continued increase in victims of human trafficking identified in Scotland. However, the ongoing rise in the number of potential victims entering the National Referral Mechanism has required additional in-year awards to Migrant Help of £1.1m in 2022-2023 and £3.5m in2023-2024.

During the reporting period, an internal Standard Operating Procedure was developed by TARA to provide guidance on when women may be ready to be referred for transitions support, how to refer and appropriately handover ongoing support.

Following an input from Evaluation Support Scotland, TARA assessed that three of their existing outcomes for women aligned with the transition support function. These outcomes were:

• women having a greater understanding of their choices
• women are better able to self-advocate
• women can approach services independently.

During 2023/2024, 29 women received transitions support. This assistance included access to mainstream supports such as welfare rights and housing following a grant of leave to remain in the UK. Other supports included assistance to apply for college, ongoing National Referral Mechanism advocacy and support, foodbank and clothing referrals, work around social isolation, long-term health conditions and ongoing emotional support.

However, since November 2023 the nature of transitional support has mostly been focused on assisting survivors with leave to remain to access suitable mainstream housing. Of the 29 women accessing transitions support in 2023/2024, 16 received an eviction notice from Mears, with many also needing assistance with Universal Credit applications. TARA provided advocacy on a range of issues, including troubleshooting crisis homeless presentations, support to access legal expertise around court evictions, explaining temporary, including communal, accommodation processes, negotiating suitable properties and arranging for repairs where this was required.

TARA have established good links with Glasgow HSCP’s Asylum and Refugee Service and have been able to work in partnership to secure positive outcomes for mainstream housing access and support. TARA attend an internal Glasgow City Council fortnightly meeting on asylum related housing pressures and will continue to explore consistent referral pathways to prevent crisis presentations and to assist with TARA capacity.

As a consequence of concerns for Romanian women selling/exchanging sex in the Glasgow area, TARA, Routes Out and Police Scotland’s Glasgow Human Trafficking Unit agreed to launch a pilot service targeting this vulnerable group in October 2023. Several planning meetings were held during the reporting period and arrangements made with JustRight Scotland (Scottish Women’s Rights Centre) to provide a legal surgery and with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde for fast-track sexual health checks. A number of frontline services in Glasgow and other organisations such as the Romanian Consulate, Encompass Network and Citizen’s Advice were contacted and information on the pilot disseminated in advance of the launch.

Unfortunately, no women (or professional colleagues looking to signpost women) contacted or attended the drop-in so the pilot was not continued beyond 12 weeks. In addition, no Romanian women have presented to Routes Out since the pilot was discontinued.

Social experiences are a vital part of the recovery journey for victims of trafficking, helping to build peer networks and reduce feelings of isolation. TARA utilised private donations to support 38 women and 11 children to visit a safari park in the reporting period. A TARA client was also able to use the experience of this trip within a college course presentation.

TARA also arranged a winter event for 56 women and 13 infants in a central Glasgow venue. TARA clients responded positively to socialising and enjoyed the food provided by Soul Food Sisters. TARA team members in attendance noted the positivity around the event and the benefits of creating a space that was not focused on recovery or advocacy work.

TARA Case Study - Mel

Exploitation

Mel is from Southeast Asia and is in her early thirties. She has a 10-year-old daughter who resides in her country of origin with her grandparents and a 2-year-old daughter who lives with her in Scotland. She was referred to the TARA Service in January 2021 by Police Scotland after escaping her traffickers and approaching them for assistance.

Mel left her country in 2017 with her husband to seek asylum abroad. They were told they would have to travel to Russia and travelled through China and two other countries to get there. On arrival in Russia they were both subjected to labour exploitation in a factory. The factory closed and they were moved (along with a number of others) on foot and by lorry for a number of days.

They stayed with this group in an abandoned house for over a week which was latterly attended by police. They subsequently found out that they were in Germany, were fingerprinted by the police and then released. Mel and her husband followed some others who were released at the same time and ended up in a forest. At this point she was separated from her husband.

Mel was placed in the back of a car with her head covered for a long time and was then taken to a house where she was sexually exploited. She managed to escape and a man offered to help her report to the police. However, he sexually exploited her for a further few months and did not help her speak to the police. Mel became pregnant and this man wanted her to terminate the pregnancy, she refused and he assaulted her. She left his house in the early hours one morning in January 2021 and slept rough on a bench. She then approached the police who took her to hospital where she was treated and referred her to TARA. Police Scotland submitted an NRM and soon after she was granted a positive Reasonable Grounds Decision.

Crisis Support

TARA provided Mel with safe accommodation, emergency clothing, financial support and quick access to health care (including urgent antenatal care), legal advice and support to continue to cooperate with Police Scotland. Most importantly TARA created a safety plan with Mel in the immediate aftermath and provided her with intensive emotional support and ongoing guidance.

Due to her circumstances social services requested a pre-birth case conference which TARA supported, and they referred Mel to AMMA for a specialist birth companion service. After carefully assessing her individual needs, we supported her to move into the (at that time) Mears (Home Office accommodation provider) Mother and Baby Unit following her application for asylum a few weeks later.

Ongoing Support

Following the birth of her daughter, Mel moved into her own Mears flat in the community. TARA continued to support her and liaise with a number of professionals including health visitors, social work, immigration solicitor, British Red Cross, Glasgow Psychological Trauma Centre and Mears. Mel had a complex birth and her daughter has ongoing health challenges. Mel has no English so requires ongoing support to navigate primary health services, to make appointments and to engage with services.

Mel also required support with her asylum claim, including support to attend the asylum appeals tribunal, which was successful and she was granted five years leave to remain in the autumn of 2023. Her NRM Conclusive Grounds Decision remains outstanding.

Transitions Support

Following her grant of leave to remain Mel required significant support to apply for Universal Credit and Child benefits and with a number of other important “life admin” tasks such as understanding the Mears move on process, opening a bank account and applying for social housing with the local authority.

Mel has needed reassurance and guidance on issues such as the Scottish Welfare Fund and other options to furnish a permanent tenancy but has recently committed to learning English and has been provided with a smart phone, laptop and MiFi by TARA to facilitate the ESOL course delivered to TARA service users by Glasgow Kelvin College.

Most recently Mel has agreed to be linked in with the local community to improve her social connections and provide social opportunities for her daughter. TARA are likely to continue to provide support until she has settled in permanent accommodation and is confidently able to navigate services.

Migrant Help have supported increasing numbers of adult trafficking victims throughout the reporting period. In order to maintain the quality and breadth of support and assistance, they have expanded their team, including the appointment of additional client advisers. This is a vital step to ensure caseloads remain manageable and enable client advisers to support and advocate for each client as necessary.

Alongside increasing client numbers, Migrant Help developed internal Lived Experience Advisory Panels (LEAP) for service users to contribute ideas to the running of the service. LEAPs have suggested several improvements to the service which Migrant Help have assessed and implemented. Improvements include the sourcing of laptops for clients, football match tickets and the delivery of a number of wellbeing activities. LEAP clients are currently involved in the co-creation of a Client Handbook to be given to all clients upon entering the service.

The LEAP also participated in the review of the Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy, providing detailed feedback via questionnaire and meeting online with the Scottish Government Human Trafficking Team. In addition, working in partnership with Nottingham University8, Migrant Help clients were given the opportunity to be interviewed and have their voices heard about their experiences as survivors.

Migrant Help have also delivered multiple activities for clients, focused on improving their overall wellbeing. This has included Christmas activities, a meal for clients provided by Soul Food Sisters and art therapy sessions. At the end of the art sessions, the artwork was displayed for clients to view. Football sessions and sewing classes have also been provided alongside music therapy. Approximately 20 clients attended the Irn Bru Carnival in January 2024 and it provided an opportunity for those in attendance to create new connections, exchange contact details and share experiences in a more relaxed setting.

A key focus for Migrant Help over the reporting period has been internal service improvement. This has included the rolling out of a client feedback process, where every quarter clients are able to provide anonymous feedback to the service and suggest improvements. Migrant Help also introduced Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to improve quality around risk assessment and wider safeguarding. Additional KPIs have been developed with a focus on early support for clients, carrying out initial risk assessments and client contact frequency.

As part of the VCAF funding package, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Psychological Trauma Service were awarded £795,000 across 2022-2025. The Glasgow Psychological Trauma Service is a tertiary-level specialist trauma service, delivering psychological assessment, treatment and legal reports for adult victims of trafficking, alongside regular consultations with TARA and Migrant Help. In line with other providers, the Glasgow Psychological Trauma Service has experienced increased demand for services over the reporting period.

All adult victims of human trafficking and exploitation in Scotland within the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) can access a psychological assessment from The Glasgow Psychological Trauma Service in order to assess mental health needs and link into matched care. The Glasgow Psychological Trauma Service can offer psychoeducation sessions, group and individual psychological intervention and utilise a range of methods to deliver this, including telephone appointments, videoconferencing and face-to-face sessions.

Assessment appointments provide an opportunity for clinicians and individuals to understand the current psychological impact on victims and develop a matched care plan to meet their needs. Occasionally, an assessment appointment itself is all that is required.

The Glasgow Psychological Trauma Service offer group intervention. This is a safety and stabilisation group for victims of trafficking to help them understand the impact of trauma on their mind and body and learn coping skills to manage symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and low mood. The Glasgow Psychological Trauma Service have piloted staff from TARA and Migrant Help joining their programme of Safe Place to Cope (SPTC) Men’s and Women’s Groups.

A staff member from TARA joined for the delivery of the women’s SPTC group and a staff member from Migrant Help, joined in the delivery of two SPTC men’s groups. This has allowed TARA and Migrant Help staff to build on the development of skills learned in the Safety and Stabilisation training and enabled them to take a role in co-delivering some content.

During the reporting period, two victims of trafficking also attended a pilot of the Glasgow Psychological Trauma Service’s Compassionate Resilience Group. This Group is for individuals who have been through multiple traumatic experiences in their lives and are currently suffering from flashbacks, intrusive memories and painful emotions. The group is designed to help participants deal with their traumatic experiences with compassion, particularly if they blame themselves for what happened, experience feelings of shame or guilt, or if they are struggling with self-critical thoughts.

Another group option is the Safe Place to Create Group. This intervention combines the creative practice of psychodynamic art psychotherapy with mindfulness activity and is underpinned by Phases 1 and 3 of the phase-based trauma model. The group offers female victims of human trafficking a safe and supportive space while engaged in mindful creative activity. It is intended that the collective ethos of the group nurtures individual confidence and self-esteem, social connectedness, trusting relationships and improvement to mood. Clients develop coping skills through mindful creative activity, stimulating calm, active engagement and a here and now focus, providing a beneficial “time-out”from traumatic memories. This group can offer a pathway for women who will undergo future trauma focused psychological therapies within the Glasgow Psychological Trauma Service or for those at the end of their journey with the service, looking to socially connect with community opportunities.

Justice and Care were awarded £480,000 to 31 March 2025. This enabled the recruitment of two Victim Navigators in 2022 based within Police Scotland’s National Human Trafficking Unit. The role of the Victim Navigators is to contribute to a sustainable reduction in the prevalence of human trafficking in Scotland through:

• intensive casework with victims of modern slavery and human trafficking (MSHT)
• providing tactical advice in real time to live police investigations into cases of MSHT
• providing specialist training to Police Scotland in best practice victim identification and care
• training other frontline service providers in victim-centric practices
• supporting safe repatriations including liaison with support services in country of origin.

Victim Navigators have established strong working relationships within Police Scotland, including the development of information sharing processes and operational coordination. They have also forged links with other law enforcement partners including Border Force in Scotland (human trafficking leads), National Crime Agency tactical advisers, as well as with key local partners including Migrant Help, TARA and JustRight Scotland. Navigators have also developed relationships with international stakeholders, including the French, Romanian and Indonesian embassies and Brazilian consulate.

During the period 1 April 2022-31 October 2024, Victim Navigators based within Police Scotland:

• provided direct support to 45 survivors of MSHT
• provided strategic advice to 63 additional modern slavery investigations
• provided training to 749 police and other stakeholders
• supported 8 repatriations.

During the reporting period, Navigators provided wraparound, holistic support to 45 survivors of MSHT:

• 21 were female and 24 were male
• 16 nationalities were represented, with the largest proportion from Romania (20%), followed by the UK (18%), Ghana (13%), Vietnam (9%), and Kenya (7%)
• almost half were victims of labour exploitation (49%), followed by sexual exploitation (36%). Cases of financial exploitation, criminal exploitation and domestic servitude were also supported.

Support is individually tailored to each survivor dependent on their specific needs and has included helping survivors to find safe and suitable employment, arranging access to appropriate accommodation, supporting survivors to enter the NRM, keeping survivors informed about the progress of the police investigation and prosecution of their exploiters and providing ongoing emotional support.

Examples of the Navigators’ support casework include:

• support to a Romanian survivor of sexual exploitation and domestic abuse and her infant daughter, who was completely alone in the UK without accommodation or support from family or friends and had been exploited and abused by her boyfriend. Navigators helped her to access accommodation, food and emergency healthcare support, and to engage with police, providing a witness statement. The survivor has now been able to access the NRM and is receiving ongoing support from social services.
• providing emotional and practical support to a survivor of labour exploitation and his family, helping them to access local family support groups and providing them with emergency food supplies. After they realised that the survivor and his family had been sleeping on the floor, our Navigators helped them to procure air mattresses as an interim solution after which they liaised with other support providers to obtain proper bedding for the family. A Navigator is additionally providing guidance and information on the judicial process to the survivor in the build-up to the trial related to his experiences.

Of the holistic support provided to 45 survivors, 44 (98%) have engaged with the police investigation, with the vast majority (88%) engaging at the highest levels of either supporting a prosecution (26%) or providing a witness statement (62%). This contrasts with an estimate of only 44% of survivors of human trafficking and exploitation willing to engage with police investigations (based on analysis of a sample of cases in Essex and Surrey) without Navigator support.

To measure survivor recovery journeys, Victim Navigators administer quarterly assessments, which seek to gauge whether survivors are seeing improvements in terms of their physical and emotional wellbeing, safety, social connections, legal understanding and economic empowerment. In the reporting period, 75% of survivors who have received baseline and follow-up assessments saw improvement to their average assessment scores, indicating an overall improvement in wellbeing.

Victim Navigators have assisted with the repatriation of eight survivors of human trafficking, covering returns to Romania, Bulgaria and East Timor. In repatriation cases, the Navigators assisted with supporting survivors to travel and liaised with relevant law enforcement, care providers, and other stakeholders, to ensure that necessary support was in place for the survivors upon arrival in their home countries.

Where survivors return to Romania, repatriation support is carried out in close collaboration with the Justice and Care Romania team who take over the aftercare of the survivor upon their arrival in Romania, allowing for continuity of support.

Justice and Care appointed researchers from St Mary’s University and the University of Stirling, to undertake an independent evaluation of the Victim Navigator Programme in Scotland over the course of the three-year grant from the Scottish Government. The final report is expected to be published later in 2025. Meanwhile, the baseline report included interviews with key stakeholders, including the two Victim Navigators, four police officers embedded within the National Human Trafficking Unit in Police Scotland, and staff from two external support organisations who our Navigators have worked with. Key learnings from the baseline report were that:

• navigators are highly regarded by their law enforcement partners, who have acknowledged the value of the expert care and support they are able to offer which is a significant improvement and more tailored than what police had been able to provide previously
• law enforcement partners have indicated that Navigator involvement has freed up police time, meaning they are better able to focus on the criminal investigation as they are aware that survivors are being well supported by the Navigators

• navigators are working well with other service providers who are working with survivors of human trafficking, complementing rather than duplicating their work. Other service providers acknowledge that Navigators are “filling a very vital gap” as they have more flexibility and more time to engage with survivors, particularly over a longer time period.

Survivors of Human Trafficking in Scotland provide a long-term support service for survivors of human trafficking across Scotland which is part-funded by the Scottish Government’s VCAF award of £329,000 over the three-year period. This person-centred, trauma-informed project aims to empower survivors to transition from vulnerability to independent living, improving their health, wellbeing, and safety, thereby restoring agency and control over their futures and reducing the risks of retrafficking.

The service combines the provision of in-person, one-to-one, and group practical support for daily life and integration alongside an advocacy service working with survivors to access their entitlements under the law. The project has supported almost 250 clients from 50 referral agencies and uses a framework co-designed with survivors to ensure the service meets their needs and is dynamic in supporting each individual’s priorities in their recovery. The SOHTIS 12 Essentials to Thrive Framework9 has seen 91% of survivors progressing positively across the core outcomes which include basic needs, economic empowerment, education, employment, family, housing, legal empowerment, mental wellbeing, physical wellbeing, safety, self-actualisation, and social integration.

The service has also included art therapy provided by a Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Registered Art Therapist who has provided a non-verbal stabilising, responsive mental health care intervention.

Through this service, SOHTIS has created safe and ethical opportunities for lived experience voices to be amplified both in sharing their personal story through a range of mediums including major media outlets, and to influence system change and policy decisions.

The SOHTIS long-term survivor advocacy work was awarded the annual Stanley Pritchard Award10, for work supporting fishers exploited in Scotland, in London in 2024.

Case Study - Bevan

During a visit to the UK, Bevan received a message which included serious threats to his safety. A criminal gang had taken over his shop in his home country, stolen his money, and were threatening his family. Bevan was told he had a debt to pay before he could return. In a panic, he began searching for help. Having sent most of his money home in an attempt to pay the debt bondage, he quickly ran out of funds and was sleeping rough.

A restaurant in Edinburgh offered him accommodation and a job and he thought things were going to improve. This however was the beginning of five years of exploitation. The restaurant owner took his ID and travel documents, provided a sofa in a flat above the restaurant where he had to sleep and subjected him to work for no pay. When Bevan knew his visa was due to expire he asked to leave. He was brutally attacked and threatened that leaving would result in him being reported to the authorities and deported. Bevan stayed. He was moved several times to work in different establishments, restaurants and takeaways. When not working he was subjected to domestic servitude and was regularly beaten and sexually assaulted. Bevan’s mental health deteriorated to the point where he could no longer work. He was thrown out on the street and the SOHTIS team found him there. They built a trusting relationship with Bevan, taking time to understand his story, and began working with many local and international partners to find solutions for him.

In April 2023, with SOHTIS support, he received a positive reasonable grounds decision from the National Referral Mechanism and he entered crisis support provided by Migrant Help and received safe accommodation. After exiting this crisis provision Bevan returned to SOHTIS for long-term support. He was in a poor physical condition and experiencing suicidal ideation. He was isolated and terrified and there was evidence of risks of retrafficking. Over months the SOHTIS team helped him access medical help, supported improvements in his mental health, and advocated for more appropriate housing.

Bevan was encouraged to attend the local gym and self-defence classes; he found exercising regularly helped him. As he felt more empowered, he requested assistance to change his lawyer and as a result, his legal representation improved. He joined the weekly SOHTIS Freedom Friends group and grew in confidence.

After some time, Bevan began providing peer support to others who had experienced similar situations to himself. He attended college and, although he has good and bad days, he is feeling much more hopeful about his future. Bevan is now considering beginning a role as a peer researcher with SOHTIS, he is much more resilient and feels ready to share his experience more widely in order to help others.

JustRight Scotland’s Scottish Anti-Trafficking & Exploitation Centre (SATEC) was awarded £130,000 over the period 2022-2025 through the VCAF. Previously, part of the grant funding awarded to Migrant Help and TARA was utilised to provide free early legal advice and information surgeries to victims of trafficking in Scotland. However, following the VCAF application process the Scottish Government funded JustRight Scotland directly for this purpose. During the reporting period, 174 free and confidential surgeries were delivered across both partnerships. SATEC has also opened up the surgeries to other referral organisations as well as individuals self-referring.

SATEC continued its focus on medium-to-long-term outcomes for survivors of trafficking and has secured £56,650 in criminal injuries compensation for clients, helping reduce the risk of further exploitation and retrafficking by supporting clients to access their rights.

During the reporting period, SATEC provided direct legal representation in 230 legal matters, covering the following areas:

• Age assessment dispute
• CICA reviews/appeals
• Leave to remain/enter
• EU Settlement Scheme
• Engagement in criminal justice process, including securing special measures
• NRM identification
• Challenging criminal convictions arising from being trafficked
• Asylum applications
• Fresh claims for asylum
• Name changes
• Compensation including CICA
• Refugee family reunion
• Asylum appeals
• Refugee settlement
• Judicial Review - age, asylum, assessment, NRM
• Repatriation
• Employment Tribunal claims
• Unlawful detention - damages
• Social work re-engagement
• Discretionary leave to remain

SATEC continued to deliver its Peer Support Programme (PSP), led by a qualified nurse and Lived Experience Expert Peer Supporter, with administrative, supervisory, and casework support. Twelve participants benefited from this programme during the reporting period, with a wide range of topics addressed, including housing and benefits, advice on respite care, education pathways and funding, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnoses and support, sexual health, and general tasks and responsibilities required to manage personal and household affairs. SATEC’s lead Peer Supporter has engaged in Scottish Government Strategy meetings to input lived experience as well as to support SATEC’s commitment to develop Lived experience Leaders.

Key outcome: victims are aware of support and trust it enough to ask for help

Many victims of human trafficking and exploitation can be cautious of engaging with support services given their experiences of trust being abused. Perpetrators will adopt multiple forms of control, including psychological, to maintain the imbalance of power present in their relationship with victims. Support services can require a significant amount of time to build trust with victims to ensure they can provide a tailored framework of support based on the individual circumstances of each client.

Access to early legal advice continues to be a key intervention in the early phase of trafficking support. From April 2022 – October 2024, 73 women supported by TARA were provided legal advice through the surgery on a range of matters, from understanding legal rights as victims of historical trafficking to accessing compensation and family reunification. During the same period, 111 clients supported by Migrant Help accessed legal advice from surgeries, similarly covering a wide range of issues such as understanding the NRM and asylum processes, employment rights and accessing therapeutic services. A further 17 individuals, referred by other organisations as well as self-referrals, accessed the surgeries to receive immigration advice and information on accessing legal representation, and to report exploitation to the police.

This translated to approximately 281 individual surgery appointments, as some clients required more than a single appointment to be able to process complex information and reflect on their options, while others required time-limited or matter-limited casework support. Short-term casework has included assistance in obtaining documents from the Home Office, corresponding with COPFS Victim Information and Advice (VIA) for special measures in court proceedings, advising on correspondence from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), and guidance in responding to Competent Authority requests for information where no solicitor is instructed.

As highlighted in the fourth progress report, TARA have continued to support their Advisory Group (TAG) to enable women’s views and lived experience to be heard and brought to the forefront of anti-trafficking work.

The introduction in March 2023 of the Illegal Migration Bill, following the commencement of provisions within the Nationality and Borders Act 2023 provided a challenging context for the work of the TAG.

In response to the UK Government’s legislative proposals and their potential impact on victims of human trafficking, the TAG raised awareness about the likely negative outcomes of the then Illegal Migration Bill on victim-survivors. This included formally writing to the Westminster Joint Committee on Human Rights and the Scottish Parliament’s Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee11. The TAG also produced a powerful video outlining these concerns, which was shown at a Summit on the then Illegal Migration Bill organised by the Scottish Government on 22 June 2023 and attended by the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and the former Minister for Equalities, Migration and Refugees.

JustRight Scotland, in partnership with the Scottish Refugee Council and the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland, instructed and obtained legal opinion12 on the legal and constitutional implications of the then Illegal Migration Bill’s Scotland specific provisions relating to victims of trafficking. This was shared with the Scottish Government, sector professionals, stakeholders and presented at the Illegal Migration Bill Summit in June 2023.

During the reporting period, the Scottish Government approached the TAG to participate in the Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy refresh. The TAG proposed an approach which would ensure a wider group of survivor voices were heard. In order to do this, Wise Women were commissioned to assist the TAG develop the necessary skills to undertake a lived experience led consultation with women currently receiving support from the TARA service.

Planning for the event was undertaken in autumn 2023 with the TAG commissioned by the Scottish Government to research victim-survivor experiences of accessing health services, legal advice and their experiences with Police Scotland. The survivor-led event was held in November 2023 with 20 women attending. A full write up of this event, their findings and recommendations was submitted to the Scottish Government. The TAG presented their findings at a Scottish Government conference for all Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy Action Area members in December 2023. The event was attended by the Minister for Victims and Community Safety and provided an opportunity for the Minister to meet TAG members privately and hear directly from them about their experiences and the insights shared by other women during the consultation.

All members of the TAG found facilitating the lived experience-led consultation, presenting their findings to Scotland’s anti-trafficking stakeholders and subsequent meeting with the Minister to be empowering. Such tangible outcomes ensured this lived experience work moved beyond “storytelling”, avoided exploitation and further harm (all work was appropriately compensated), was trauma informed and accessible to a wide range of victim-survivors.

In March 2024, as a direct result of the above event, the TAG began discussions on improving the diversity of their membership to better reflect the current TARA client demographic.

During 2024, the TAG met with senior officers from Police Scotland’s National Human Trafficking Unit to discuss the viability of a similar event focused entirely on women’s experiences of policing in Scotland to support and inform awareness and training for frontline officers.

Following on from these discussions the TAG facilitated their second peer-led survivor consultation in September 2024 on women’s lived experience of police responses as survivors of human trafficking. Two in-person focus groups were hosted and 13 women accessing TARA support attended. A creche and refreshments were provided, and a Vietnamese interpreter was in attendance all day. Women had their travel reimbursed and were provided a small honorarium for attending.

Three core themes were covered on behalf of Police Scotland. The themes were:

• Communication
• Victim Centred Approach
• Complex Criminal Justice System.

The TAG then provided Police Scotland with a report on women’s lived experiences of policing and identified ten recommendations which could improve women’s engagement with police. They presented these findings and recommendations formally to senior Police Scotland Officers, the Scottish Government and two members of the delegation from the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) in December 2024. This resulted in a short - life working group with Police Scotland, Scottish Government, TARA and the TAG to further explore and agree implementation of these recommendations over the coming months.