From the Herald, Monday 14th December 2009
by Tim Bugler
Child protections agencies and local authorities have warned of a rise in child trafficking into Scotland.
Children as young as nine are being smuggled into the country by organised gangs to be sold as prostitutes, domestic slaves or, increasingly, to work in cannabis factories. Many of the gangs have previously run drugs into the UK, but have turned to human trafficking as an easier but equally lucrative alternative and are believed to see entry to Scotland as an easier option than using London airports.
The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), which monitors child trafficking into the UK, said children are being smuggled into Scotland from countries including China, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Nigeria, Romania and Bangladesh.
Glasgow City Council has taken six victims of child trafficking into its care this year and fears many more remain undetected and uncared for. The six were all brought to Glasgow against their will and without a parent or guardian. The council has assumed responsibility for their welfare and education. The council is asking teachers to be vigilant about children from abroad turning up at schools without adequate paperwork and to report any suspicions.
Edinburgh City Council will launch a leaflet campaign early in the New Year in conjunction with Lothian and Borders Police to raise public awareness of human trafficking in the capital.
Thirteen local authorities across the UK have been taking part in a pilot scheme in an effort to combat the problem. It ends in March and is then likely to be rolled out across the country.
The creation of the national referral mechanism for trafficking has involved close liaison between central and local government to protect child victims.
CEOP said Chinese children in particular have been identified arriving through ports such as Stranraer. Victims are often then taken to the Chinatown district of Glasgow and to Dundee. The centre said two-thirds of children identified as being trafficked were female, but it is likely that many boys are not being detected. Many of them arrive in the backs of lorries coming through sea ports. While most of the girls trafficked into the UK are forced into the sex trade, boys are used as manual labour, for benefit fraud, forced into crime or made to work in cannabis factories.
Police are currently shutting down one cannabis factory every week, but others are springing up. Workers in the factories are frequently kept locked inside. Children are the preferred option for the gangs as they are easier to control than adult illegal immigrants.
SNP MP Pete Wishart, who represents Perth, said: “Scotland must ensure it is not seen as an easy touch.” The former Runrig singer said: “Police say the number of incidents seems to be rising more quickly in Scotland than in the rest of the UK. We need to redouble our efforts to ensure Scotland cannot be a gateway. Initiatives such as those undertaken in Glasgow and Edinburgh are to be applauded.
Hannah Pearce of the organisation End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and the Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes, said: “It was previously thought that the majority of children brought here illegally were involved in the sex trade. However, research now shows there are many other forms of exploitation. Sadly it seems certain the cases we know about are merely the tip of the iceberg.”
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