Question reference: S6W-14248
- Date lodged: 23 January 2023
-
Current status: Answered by Elena Whitham on 31 January 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the war in Ukraine on human trafficking inflows in Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Government is working in partnership with local authorities, third sector organisations and UK colleagues to assess and mitigate any safeguarding concerns, including the risk of human trafficking relating to displaced people from Ukraine.
This includes chairing a Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy Ukraine sub-group which comprises key operational partners and frontline support services and enables the sharing of trafficking specific information, assessment of ongoing risk and the elevation of any concerns to the Ukraine Safeguarding Strategy Group.
Police Scotland instigated Operation Escarpment to effectively manage and coordinate the required policing response in Scotland. This included human trafficking threat assessments for the Ukrainian diaspora and those arriving who may be vulnerable to exploitation. Potential trafficking and exploitation of displaced people from Ukraine continues to be actively monitored.