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Meeting of the Parliament 29 February 2012

29 Feb 2012 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament

Item of business

Human Trafficking

Goldie, Annabel Con West Scotland Watch on SPTV

I, too, thank the cabinet secretary for bringing the important issue of human trafficking to the chamber. The debate has been well informed, and there has been much agreement on a range of points.

Human trafficking—the recruitment, transportation, intimidation and incarceration of vulnerable persons—is deception and exploitation at their very worst, and it is to be condemned in the strongest possible terms. A simple Google search on human trafficking in Scotland in 2012 brings up horrifying headlines. There are details of victims of human sex trafficking in modern-day Scotland. Victims are threatened with witchcraft and subjected to torture and are vulnerable to death. Women are viewed as commodities and are forced to take alcohol and drugs. Trafficked women are forced to work for 16 hours a day and to have sex with numerous men. Those violations, including domestic servitude, occur throughout Scotland, not just in the shadowy back streets of our cities, and those abused individuals are not just physically captive; they are mentally shackled and controlled by traffickers. We must resolve as one to root out that evil and bring an end to that suffering. Law enforcement is important, and I welcome the cabinet secretary’s commitment to it.

Jenny Marra was correct to say that quantifying the problem is difficult. As long ago as 2001, the International Organisation for Migration estimated that 1 million people were trafficked for sexual exploitation each year, and the United States Department of State claimed that 600,000 to 800,000 people were trafficked globally each year and that 80 per cent of them were female. That is simply a catalogue of incalculable human misery.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s inquiry into human trafficking in Scotland was therefore timely. It was helpful that the Scottish and UK Government response was positively acknowledged, but it was still recognised that more could be done. As other members have indicated, it is disturbing that a low awareness of human trafficking was found among professionals and the public. It was also questioned whether authorities such as the police and health workers were sufficiently well attuned to spot or consider human trafficking issues. If that is allied with the conclusion that police and victim support services often did not work in co-operation and the fact that trafficking was observed to be an issue across Scotland, not just in cities, a troubling picture emerges. Given that the report recommended that the Scottish Government must be willing to take a leadership role in devolved areas and be proactive in its relationship with the UK Government over reserved areas, I am encouraged by the cabinet secretary’s response in holding this debate, and am encouraged by the motion and the intention to host a summit to refresh the strategic direction for policy and delivery. I say to the cabinet secretary that that should be sooner rather than later.

I share Mary Fee’s and Alison McInnes’s anxiety about the possibility of trafficking increasing around the Commonwealth games. It is therefore urgent to frame a date and a structure for the summit. I hope that the minister will expand on that in her speech.

The amendment that was lodged by my colleague Mr McLetchie underlines the need for cross-border co-operation. I thank Roddy Campbell for acknowledging the positive approach from Westminster. I realise that Christina McKelvie has a slightly less positive perception of the UK Border Agency, but I urge the cabinet secretary to share any concerns directly with the Home Secretary. I support that approach. Graeme Pearson also made that point. I have always found the Home Secretary to be reasonable and helpful.

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Meeting of the Parliament 29 February 2012

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