Police toil in war against human trafficking

Published on Tuesday 4 May 2010 22:57

POLICE are struggling to tackle human trafficking because they do not know how many people are being brought to Scotland and forced to work as sex slaves.

Criminal gangs are illegally smuggling people into Scotland from all over the world, with high numbers coming from Nigeria and West Africa in general, south-east Asia, Pakistan, the Czech Republic and Lithuania, the Scottish Parliament's equal opportunities committee heard.

Many work in the sex industry, although others become domestic slaves or foot soldiers in organised crime. The Scottish Government identified 79 victims of human trafficking in a study in 2007-8. Since April 2009, 60 potential victims of trafficking have been identified in Scotland by the Migrant Helpline.

Seventeen have been referred to Tara, which supports women trafficked for sexual exploitation, by the Scottish Refugee Council. And the Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland (ACPOS) is aware of ten crime gangs currently involved in people trafficking in the country.

Despite this growing evidence of trafficking, no convictions have been secured for human trafficking in Scotland, even though several have been in England and Wales. DCC Gordon Meldrew, from ACPOS, said: "We find establishing the full extent of human trafficking to be very, very difficult for us to do.

"If we are to better understand human trafficking, we need the help of victim services. We need to understand much, much better than we do at present what that (victim's] experience is. We don't have any convictions for human trafficking in Scotland; that does compare and contrast with down south."

He added: "We don't deal with that many victims – not that many will present to the police."

The committee heard some women, who had been rescued from sexual exploitation, have disappeared from bed and breakfasts because they were afraid of talking to the police.

Many do not trust the police because of experiences in their own countries and they also fear retribution.

Helen Baillot, of the Scottish Refugee Council, said: "It's so, so difficult, because these people are terrified. Men, women and children – they are all terrified of the people who have trafficked them."

Abigail Stepnitz, of the Poppy Project, which provides accommodation and support for victims, warned: "The problem is real, it is not going to go away, and it has to be addressed."