Trafficking and exploitation strategy: draft for consultation

Section 6: Policy Context

There are a number of key Scottish Government policies and guidance documents that already contribute to the arrangements to tackle human trafficking and exploitation. Summaries of some of the main ones are set out below and links to these and other relevant documents are available in Annex One.

The Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007 seeks to protect and benefit adults at risk of being harmed. The Act requires councils and a range of public bodies to work together to support and protect adults who are unable to safeguard themselves, their property and their rights.

Scotland's Serious and Organised Crime ( SOC) Strategy aims to reduce the harm caused by serious organised crime by diverting people from becoming involved in this type of crime and/or using its products; deterring SOC Groups by supporting private, public and third sector organisations to protect themselves and each other; identifying, detecting and prosecuting those involved in SOC and disrupting SOC Groups.

Equally Safe is our country's strategy to take action on all forms of violence against women and girls. It explicitly includes commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking within its definition of violence against women and girls.

New Scots - A significant number of asylum seekers have been victims of human trafficking. New Scots: Integrating Refugees in Scotland's Communities is a three-year strategy for refugee integration in Scotland. The aim of the strategy is to support and enable people to rebuild their lives in Scotland and make a full contribution to society.

Scotland's National Action Plan for Human Rights contains a commitment to ensure that the Strategy takes a human rights based approach, using the model for change promoted by and set out in Scotland's National Action Plan for Human Rights.

Scotland's National Action Plan to tackle Child Sexual Exploitation is multi-agency and emphasises the need for strong, effective partnership working. An update of the Plan, developed in partnership with the Ministerial Working Group to Prevent and Tackle Child Sexual Exploitation and National Child Sexual Exploitation Working Group, was published in March 2016.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child ( UNCRC) is a core international human rights treaty, setting out a holistic framework for the rights of all children. The UNCRC is at the heart of the Scottish Government's commitment to ensuring that all children and young people have the best possible start to life, regardless of their circumstances. All duty bearers under the UNCRC are expected to do all they can to implement the Convention and uphold children's rights.

National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland provides a national framework within which agencies and practitioners at local level, individually and jointly, can understand and agree processes for working together to support, promote and safeguard the wellbeing of all children.

Getting it Right for Every Child ( GIRFEC) is the national approach in Scotland to improving outcomes and supporting the wellbeing of all children and young people by offering the right help at the right time from the right people.

Getting it Right for Looked After Children and Young People Strategy sets out the Scottish Government's priorities to improve the lives of looked after children and young people. It reflects the on-going collaborative work between the Scottish Government, local authorities, professionals, carers, families and children and young people.

The Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2014 introduced various measures to improve the information and support available to victims and witnesses, including an obligation on criminal justice organisations to develop and publish Standards of Service ^[12] setting out how individuals can expect to be treated. The Act also requires the Scottish Ministers to publish a Victims' Code for Scotland ^[13] , setting out, clearly and in one place, the rights that all victims of crime have and who to contact for help and advice.