During a parliamentary debate on 9 June 2022, Members of the Scottish Parliament urged the Scottish Government to tackle demand for prostitution and sex trafficking in order to combat the threat of sexual exploitation faced by Ukrainian refugees.
The debate was based on a motion tabled by Bill Kidd MSP titled 'Making Scotland Hostile to Trafficking and a Safe Place for Ukrainian Refugees'.
The motion stated: "...refugees are particularly vulnerable to trafficking for sexual exploitation and other forms of modern slavery; understands that the Scottish Government has committed to criminalising sex buyers, addressing the reported impunity of sex buyers in exploiting vulnerable women and children, and, through criminalisation, making Scotland hostile to human traffickers; considers that Baroness Helena Kennedy QC’s report on Misogyny and Criminal Justice in Scotland affirms the understanding of commercial sexual exploitation, including pornography, prostitution and trafficking, as “violence against women and girls”; recognises the OSCE’s reported findings that internet searches for Ukrainian women for sale for sexual exploitation has increased by between 200% to 600% across multiple countries in Europe since the Ukrainian refugee crisis started, and that, in the UK, internet searches for Ukrainian women has increased by 669%, compared with March 2021; considers that the criminalisation of sex buyers in Scotland would tackle the demand that fosters trafficking and respond to Palermo protocol commitments;"
> Watch Members of the Scottish Parliament speak powerfully about the urgent need adopt effective measures to tackle sex trafficking below.
Bill Kidd MSP:
Ruth Maguire MSP:
Donald Cameron MSP:
Rhoda Grant MSP:
Kaukab Stewart MSP:
Stephen Kerr MSP:
Ash Regan MSP, the Minister for Community Safety:
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