By John Merralls, Migrant Help UK

HIDDEN in plain sight: that’s is a term that describes human trafficking really well. We look, yet we often do not see. A recent survey found that only 14 per cent of the Scottish public believed that human trafficking was happening in Scotland, only five per cent of people thought it happened in their local area and 63 per cent of people believed it only happened outside of Europe.

However, the reality is very different. As reported in the news a few weeks ago human trafficking has been identified across Scotland, both in cities and small rural communities. In fact, it has been reported in almost all local authority areas, including the island communities. This clearly dispels the prevalent myth that human trafficking is happening elsewhere in the world and not in Scotland.

I am here to tell you that the abhorrent crime is happening here and now and cases have been increasing year on year since 2009.

One example is a young woman from an African country who was trafficked into Scotland and held by a much older local man as a domestic and sex slave. She was kept in his flat in a normal residential block that any one of us could walk past or be living next to. I wonder how many people would have noticed this relationship yet did not, or chose not to see that things may not be as they appear? Eventually, due to his often-drunken state, she managed to find the door key and make her escape. Not knowing where she was or where to go, she ran through the streets until she could run no more and sought rest in a bus shelter. Seeing her in distress, a passer-by spoke to her and after some time the young woman opened up and was subsequently referred to Migrant Help for support – she had a happy ending.

It’s not like this for most. Most of us have, at some point used one of the numerous car washes that have popped up across the country over the past few years. I am sure that paying £4 to have your car wash is viewed as good value, but we have to ask what is the true cost? Some of these workers may be victims of human trafficking, working long hours for very little or no pay and being made to live in horrendous conditions.

A great deal has already been and is currently being done to stop the issue across Scotland by many agencies including the Scottish Government, which leads with its recently introduced legislation and Strategy for Scotland for tackling and addressing this blight on humanity.

Migrant Help works across Scotland to help support rescued victims in rebuilding their lives following their horrific experiences. We work in partnership to raise awareness and deliver training on the issue. By doing this we hope to challenge the myths, educate the public and ensure that those who may encounter a trafficking situation would know what to do.

However, there is still much to do and we all have a responsibility in society to sit up and not only look but see what’s really going on.

This is a global crime worth billions of pounds annually and Scotland is a significant country of destination for those traded in this crime. We all need to take our duty of care seriously. It is only with a united stance that we can send a message to those who undertake this crime that Scotland is not open for business in the trading and selling of human beings. If you think something doesn’t look right, then it probably isn’t, and by reporting it to the police you may be changing someone’s life.

For information on the signs of human trafficking and to report concerns visit modernslaveryhelpline.org/scotland