Church of Scotland to Hear Call for Action on Human Trafficking

The Church & Society Council of the Church of Scotland is to present a paper on human trafficking to this month's General Assembly in Edinburgh.

The Church of Scotland Guild and World Mission Council put the paper together following their intensive campaign to press the UK Government into strengthening its commitment to combat human trafficking and extending assistance to the victims of trafficking.

The Council will also ask the Assembly for the green light to work with other denominations in developing safe houses for the victims of human trafficking.

The report expresses frustration at the UK Government for lagging behind other countries in implementing measures to combat human trafficking, saying its response has been "tardy" at best.

It is critical in particular of the Government's failure to ratify the "Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons" until 2006, six years after it was adopted by the UN and three years after it was enforced.

In January 2007, Prime Minster Tony Blair announced his intention to sign another convention, the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, which requires signatory states to actively implement measures to combat human trafficking.

Now the Church & Society Council is concerned that the UK Government will delay ratification, as it did with 2000 protocol, resulting in a delay in the introduction of appropriate legislation, including the provision of a minimum 30 day period for victims to start to recover from their ordeal.

The Church & Society Council will tell the Assembly that "an important part of the way forward" will be the continued pressure on politicians to take more action in actualising the measures laid out in the latest convention.

It will also highlight the importance of education as part of the effort against human trafficking and propose that congregations be equipped with an information pack.