Trafficking in human beings is an abhorrent evil practice which has no place in a civilised society and the Scottish Government is committed to working with others to ensure that it is eradicated in Scotland.
A comprehensive range of measures designed to tackle all aspects of trafficking is set out in the UK Action Plan on Tackling Human Trafficking. The Plan outlines the Government's strategy in relation to trafficking in human beings and sets out work that is underway across the UK to address the requirements of the Convention and address other trafficking related issues.
Action Plan
The Action Plan is published jointly by the Scottish Government and the Home Office. The original Action Plan was published in March 2007 to mark the UK's signature of the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings. The plan was updated in July 2008 and again on 19 October 2009 and contains updates on each of the main areas of the plan, including some additional actions. The Action Plan focuses on four key areas:
The Cabinet Secretary for Justice sits on the UK Interdepartmental Ministerial Group which has responsibility for overseeing implementation of the Action Plan and for ensuring that the UK is fully compliant with the provisions of the Convention. Scottish Government officials sit on the project group responsible for taking forward implementation of the Plan.