Equal Opportunities Committee

Meeting date: Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Official Report 294KB pdf

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Human Trafficking

We move to agenda item 5. There was a debate in the chamber recently on human trafficking, and this agenda item gives us an opportunity to have a discussion in preparation for our round-table session on 20 March. The Official Report of this discussion will be drawn to the attention of the participants in that session.

A few of us spoke in the debate on human trafficking. I found it enlightening in some ways, and shocking. It was a really good debate, and it gives us a good basis for our round-table discussion. I am not sure what other members of the committee think.

I agree, convener. The debate was extremely well informed. It was helpful to detect a complete unanimity of political purpose across the parties on the need to discuss the issue and address it.

One point that emerged during the debate, which it might be helpful to bear in mind, is that it is important that we recognise and address our thoughts to the different forms of human trafficking. Different sets of circumstances surround the environment of sexual trafficking and domestic servitude, for example. It is important that we recognise that different circumstances apply to the different kinds of trafficking. All forms of trafficking are to be roundly condemned for the appalling behaviour that they are, but it could be unhelpful to try to take an emulsion brush and deal with trafficking as one problem.

14:30

Yes—there are many different levels.

I agree with Annabel Goldie. The debate was good. During it, I mentioned that, the previous week, the cross-party group in the Scottish Parliament on human rights, of which I am the convener, had held a meeting. With the exception of Mr Meldrum, all the people who are coming to our round-table session contributed to that meeting. It would be good if there was an opportunity in the format of the session for Bronagh Andrew to give some examples. It is all very well to have the statistics, but it is useful to hear about the circumstances of someone who is planning their escape, their fears and the immediate issues that they confront. The issue is about co-operation. Some people are afraid because part of the basis of their being restrained is that they believe that they have no right to be here, anyway. That even applies to people who have a legal right to be here. People’s ignorance is played on—I did not mean that to sound as nasty as it came out.

The trafficking awareness-raising alliance—TARA—project and Migrant Help work closely together. The practical support that they provide is interesting. The issue is about awareness, too. At the committee’s most recent meet-and-greet session, which was excellent, a woman shared the experience of the City of Edinburgh Council. I think that I flagged that up to the clerk. The council does awareness raising. Front-line public workers will sometimes see the signs and symptoms that indicate such behaviour. As Annabel Goldie said, the issue is wide ranging and the use of language is important.

Yes. When my researcher and I were doing research on the issue, we found a few personal examples of people telling their stories about how they got to be in whatever country they ended up in, how they were trafficked and what they did. That is harrowing, but it brings the issue alive and makes us realise the struggle that people have. Trafficking takes place in every community, and it is not only sex trafficking, but labour trafficking. A huge number of people are trafficked here for labour. The issue covers a huge spectrum.

Does anybody else want to comment?

I just want to say that the word “slavery” is so much more powerful than the term “human trafficking”. We should talk about slavery at every possible opportunity because, in effect, the practice is slavery. That point was made in the debate. Somehow, the term “human trafficking” does not hit the spot and we are not as shocked as we should be about the number of people who are likely to be in slavery in Scotland.

People recognise the term “human trafficking” as relating to the sex trade. That is the association that people automatically make. Your point about slavery is correct. Many people do not realise the numbers of people, particularly children, who are trafficked into and out of this country for work.

Another point is that a number of theatre companies, some of which are quite young, are tackling the subject and have done a lot of research on it. As we have heard, part of the issue is about raising awareness among front-line workers. We need to get the contacts to the right people so that they can take action. I know of three companies and a university group that are doing research that we might want to hear about at some point in future.

We could try to get them along to the round-table session. It is only a couple of weeks away, but we could contact them. If they cannot send someone in person, they might be able to send us something in writing. If you give us the details, we will get in touch.

That would be good. I will do that.

It was useful to have the debate in the chamber on trafficking a couple of weeks before our round-table session. It has helped to frame in our minds why we are having the session and the kind of things that will be discussed. It has been a useful tool for our round-table discussion. I thank members for their comments.

We will consider item 6 in private.

14:35 Meeting continued in private until 15:15.