Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur says we must be doing much more to tackle vulnerability and this has been made more difficult by the squeeze on local budgets.

Mr McArthur says the Lib Dem proposal of a penny on income tax would help with some of the challenges.

He says collaboration on an international scale is important and that policing systems must work across borders.

Mr McArthur says this must be considered during Brexit negotiations.

Green MSP John Finnie says it is very self-evident that the victims of human trafficking are already very vulnerable.

Mr Finnie says it is difficult to estimate actual number because coercion is a major part of this.

The Green MSP says the reality is that a lot of victims do not realise they are victims.

He says if you have been manhandled and taken around the world then you are the victim and that partnership is key to this.

Image source, bbc

SNP MSP Kate Forbes says people are trafficked and enslaved into forced labour, prostitution and forced organ removal in Scotland.

Ms Forbes says the goals of the government's strategy on trafficking and exploitation cannot come soon enough for those victims being raped or abused here in Scotland.

She says she is delighted the strategy identifies the need for partnership at every level.

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Labour MSP Mary Fee pays tribute to Jenny Marra who worked tirelessly to get human trafficking onto the agenda.

Ms Fee says: "Human trafficking is a stain on our society."

She welcomes the new trafficking strategy but "notes with concern cuts to local authorities and Police Scotland".

Image source, EPA

In 2015 MSPs unanimously approved legislation designed to tackle human trafficking in Scotland.

The Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act , externalestablished human trafficking as a specific offence.

It also increased the punishment for offenders to a maximum life sentence and ensures more support for victims.

The Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act

• gives adult victims of trafficking rights to access support and assistance, similar to those already in place for child victims
• ensures instructions setting out how prosecutors should deal with the victims of trafficking and exploitation who are forced to commit crime as a direct result of their victim status
• strengthens protections for eligible vulnerable children by making independent child trafficking guardians available and requiring statutory referrals
• requires Scottish Ministers to work with other bodies to publish and keep under review a Scottish Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy

Image source, bbc

In Scotland 57% of females, many of them children, were trafficked for sexual exploitation, says SNP MSP Ash Denham

She says: "Unlike a drug, a girl can be sold over and over and over again, creating huge profits."

Ms Denham says the SNP conference passed a motion on a Scottish model of prostitiuion which would see the sale of sex should be decriminalised and the purchase of sex should be criminalised

The motion also would see the provision of support to help girls and women leave prostitution, she says.

Mr Tomkins says victims of trafficking often have multiple vulnerabilities.

The Tory MSP says: "We need to bring human trafficking out of the shadows."

He welcomes the Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy.

Mr Tomkin says people are the second most profitable commodity after drugs which cannot be allowed.

Tory MSP Adam Tomkins says he is proud that the UK is a leader in fighting human trafficking and that, as home secretary, Theresa May introduced the Human Slavery Bill.

Mr Tomkins says the Bill said "if you are involved in this illegal trade you will be prosecuted."

The Tory MSP says there will be many more affected by this crime who are unaware that they are being used as a commodity and are too frightened to come forward.

He says humans that are used as a commodity are rarely used for one purpose.

Image source, bbc

Ms Baker says polling from earlier this year showed people did not believe trafficking happened close to where they live.

The Labour MSP says local authorities have a key role to play in tackling trafficking, as do third sector organisations.

She says local authorities must be fully resourced to look after trafficked children and to tackle trafficking.

The Labour MSPs says the cuts to local authorities and Police Scotland are not sustainable.

Kiet told BBC Scotland his brother was involved in a real estate investment which went wrong - leaving his brother owing gangsters the equivalent of £700,000. He said the gangsters killed his brother and then told Kiet they owned him. He was trafficked to the UK.

"When I arrived in [Northern] Ireland, strong men took me to a house and I was locked there. After a week I was taken to a school in the city where I learnt English four times a week.

"That was the only job I was told to do. I just went to the school and back to the house. I couldn't go out anywhere."

After two months, Kiet was taken to another house in Belfast with three others.

"I was locked at the house and I was threatened not to do anything or I would be killed.

"I didn't understand the language and when I was threatened I was so scared.

"I was brought to Scotland and arrested by police. At that time I told them I was a victim of the trafficking."

Kiet was taken to the Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre before being helped by the charity Migrant Help.

"I felt happy and comfortable in Scotland. I was given some money and now I have a place to live.

"I want to start a new life - that's why I'm learning a new language so I can get a job and earn my own money so I don't have to depend on the social money.

"I have applied to be refugee and I'm waiting for it to be approved by the authorities."

Ms Baker says she would hope to see the statistics on those being trafficked come down.

The Labour MSP says victims are reluctant to come forward and that they are afraid of repercussions.

Ms Baker says there must be a serious look at the criminalisation of the buying of sex.

She says she welcomes the work of the government so far and says there is much work stilll to be done.

Image source, bbc

Labour MSP Claire Baker says pays tribute to her Scottish Labour colleague Jenny Marra, who is on maternity leave, for bringing forward a member's bill on human trafficking.

Ms Baker says her party will support the government motion.

The Labour MSP says: "We are talking about the exploitation of some of the most vulnerable in our society including children."

Ms Baker says communities across Scotland must be aware of traffickers and there should be no hiding places in the margins.

Here is Labour MSP Claire Baker's amendment.

Image source, Scottish Parliament

Justice Secretary Michael Matheoson announces doubling of support for trafficking victims:

• support for victims of human trafficking will be doubled to at least 90 days
• extended period of support will be three times longer than the Council of Europe minimum period
• it will twice as long as the rest of the UK
• change is a key part of the new Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy
• funding of almost £800,000 will be provided this year through support groups TARA (Trafficking Awareness Raising Alliance) and Migrant Help UK

Image source, bbc

Mr Mathson says although progress has been made in tackling human trafficking, he is conscious there is more work to do.

The justice secretary says the united approach across Europe has been key to the progress that has been achieved to date.

Justice Secretary Michael Matheson says today he can announce he will lay regulations extend the length of time adult victims of trafficking will be provided with support.

Mr Matheson says Scotland and the other countries in the UK currently provide 45 days support but that Scotland will provide 90 days.

Tory MSP Jamie Greene asks if, by extending that period, the government will provide extra funding to third sector organisations who support those people.

The justice secretary says 90 days will allow the government to do everything it can for the people affected.

Mr Matheson says the strategy reflects the views of the victims themselves.

The justice secretary says he is determined for this to continue.

He says new orders are being introduced to disrupt trafficking, on June 30.

Image source, bbc

This will give the police more options to target traffickers making Scotland even more hostile to traffickers says Mr Matheson.

The minister says support must be improved for the victims of trafficking and exploitation.

He says today he can announce he will lay regulations extend the length of time adult victims of trafficking will be provided with support

The BBC sent investigative journalist Sam Poling undercover to expose the ruthless tactics used in the supply chain.

She travelled across Eastern Europe to track down victims sold to Glasgow gangs for sex.

Read more here.

Justice Secretary Michael Matheson says the title of this debate sets the government's objective to make Scotland a more hostile place to those involved in trafficking people.

"No one should be subject to such treatment," he says.

Mr Matheson says in 2015 the parliament unanimously passed the Human Trafficking Act and that he laid the first human trafficking strategy before the parliament this year.

He says children depend on adults for their care and are more vulnerable to coersion.

"Sadly children are trafficked into Scotland," and children living here are also exploited, he says.

Image source, bbc

Mr Matheson uses his motion to say abhorrent crimes of human trafficking and exploitation are an abuse of human rights and dignity, which can cause lasting physical and psychological damage to victims, both adults and children.

He recognises the cross-party support that exists to make Scotland a hostile place for those who traffic and exploit other human beings..

The justice minister welcomes the publication of Scotland’s first Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy on 30 May 2017, external.

He highlights the vision set out in the strategy to eliminate human trafficking and exploitation by identifying victims and supporting them to safety and recovery, identifying perpetrators and disrupting their activity, and addressing the issues that foster trafficking and exploitation.