The Palerno Protocol – To Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children.
This supplements the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime, ratified by the UK in 2000. It defines trafficking of persons which can be found within the document Safeguarding children in Scotland who might have been trafficked (PDF, 533KB)|.
It establishes children as a special case. Children cannot give consent to being trafficked. Even if a child understands what has happened, they may still submit willingly to the will of their parents. It is important children are protected.
It is difficult to identify how many children may have been trafficked into Scotland, but there is evidence of increased activity and children being trafficked from different countries. These are linked with other forms of serious organised crime. Current research has been commissioned by the Scottish Government.
Forth Valley Protocol on Human Trafficking
On 18th April 2011, Tam Baillie, Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People launched the Forth Valley Protocol on Human Trafficking. The protocol, is the first in Scotland to address both child and adult trafficking.
The overarching aims of the protocol are to raise awareness of human trafficking within agencies, to support the investigation and prosecution of those who coerce, exploit and abuse people in this way, and to facilitate a consistent response and approach to victims of human trafficking across all agencies within Forth Valley.
This protocol outlines the UK and Scottish policy context. It defines sexual exploitation, forced labour, domestic servitude, internal trafficking, unaccompanied asylum seeking children and the key issues and challenged faced by staff in all agencies when working with individuals who may have been trafficked.