Child slaves trafficked to Scotland for sex industry CHILDREN: ABUSE

0 Comments | Sunday Herald, The, Jun 25, 2006 | by Liam McDougall Home Affairs Editor

CAMPAIGNERS and child protection agencies have called for the creation of a new national database to detect children who are being trafficked into Scotland.

The move comes after a seven-month programme of research by Save the Children Scotland, which found evidence of children being smuggled into Scotland to work in the sex industry and as domestic slaves.

In the first research of its kind by the organisation - undertaken last year - Save the Children contacted social work agencies and refugee organisations in an attempt to gauge whether Scotland had become a destination for trafficked youngsters.

It found around four cases where there was evidence that the children had been brought to Scotland to be used effectively as child slaves.

The results of the "small-scale" research have not been published by the charity and details of the cases found - including the nationality of the children - are not being revealed because it is feared publication could jeopardise their situation.

However, sources revealed that there was evidence of a network of child traffickers operating in Scotland. Some, said the source, had arrived in England from abroad and had been taken to Scotland specifically to be put to work.

The source said: "We came across a case of what appeared to be domestic servitude. There were cases where children, who may have been very vulnerable already, had been befriended by adults, brought here and sexually exploited. Young people seemed to arrive in Scotland not as their first destination, so there is obviously somebody helping them to come here."

In its response to consultation by the Home Office and Scottish Executive on a UK action plan to deal with trafficking, Save the Children highlights worrying gaps in knowledge about the scale of the problem in Scotland.

In its paper, the organisation writes: "There is a need for a Scottish national database of children whose circumstances are unusual or suspicious.

"Our research showed that children are arriving in Scotland with and without adults in unusual circumstances. Over two years this is a slowly increasing trend, and with EU expansion 'arrivals' and a continuing policy of [Home Office asylum seeker] 'dispersal' this pattern is likely to continue or expand."

It adds: "Our research found that staff in statutory agencies based in Scotland all experienced cases involving children whose story lacked credibility - Due to limitations of staff time or resources they were often unable to investigate further."

Concern over child trafficking in Scotland led this month to Christine Beddoe, director of the anti-child prostitution and trafficking group, Ecpat, meeting with the Scottish children's commissioner, Professor Kathleen Marshall.

MARSHALL told the Sunday Herald that she was becoming "hugely concerned" about the scale of child trafficking in Scotland and intended to begin working on the issue with the other UK children's commissioners.

She said: "As it is not recorded or researched, we are not yet aware of the scale of child trafficking in Scotland. The hidden nature of this is a real concern."

Jane Gibreel, Scottish director of Save the Children, said the organisation had been concerned about international child trafficking for "many years" and added: "The Scottish Executive and the Home Office are in the middle of a consultation exercise on human trafficking. We hope they will not just consult but make help available to local authorities wishing to improve their responses and focus more attention on helping victims than they have previously."

A Scottish Executive spokeswoman said: "Child trafficking is a form of child abuse that ministers will not tolerate. Earlier last week responses to the Home Office and Scottish Executive consultation on tackling human trafficking were published. These will inform the UK action plan on preventing, investigating and prosecuting offenders and providing assistance to victims."

NEED TO KNOW

THE FACTS Research by Save the Children has found evidence of children being trafficked and put to work as slaves in Scotland.

BACKGROUND Growing concern about human trafficking has led the Home Office and Scottish Executive to begin work on a UK action plan to tackle the problem.

NEED TO KNOW MORE?

http: //tinyurl. com/ejc4x Home Office action plan details.

www. savethechildren. org. uk Save the Children.