Report brands Scotland a 'welcome place for child trafficking'

A NEW report has branded Scotland a "welcome place for traffickers" as up to 80 children have been brought to the country in the past 18 months.

Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People (SCCYP) warned that police and government were not doing enough to prevent trafficking and catch those responsible, and that numbers only represent the "tip of the iceberg".

There has yet to be a single conviction for child trafficking to Scotland.

The report, written with the Centre for Rural Childhood, Perth College UHI, is the first attempt to quantify the scale of the trafficking problem.

Tam Baillie, Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People, said: "In the few cases where children are identified as victims of trafficking, our poor response to their needs and the lack of successful criminal prosecutions of the perpetrators makes Scotland a welcome place for child traffickers.

"When children are raped or exploited as slaves in households or businesses in Scotland it becomes our national scandal."

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "The Scottish Government encourages all those with a role in eradicating this horrific human trade to act on the recommendations in this report.