Detective says No Evidence that Human Trafficking Will Increase During Commonwealth Games

Just recently, a top Scots detective claimed that there is no sign at all that human trafficking will increase when Glasgow hosts the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Detective Sergeant Sandra Jamieson's claims, however, go against what other predictions suggest. In fact, others believe that the Commonwealth Games will bring an increase to human trafficking for prostitution.

Robert Brown, who is a Liberal Democrat MSP, had previously said that he believes construction workers will increase the demand for prostitution of all kinds. Glasgow Community and Safety Services, which is a charity which manages the Trafficking Awareness Raising Alliance, has warned that the games may increase the threat of trafficking as well. The group has called for preventative measures to be taken in order to stop it.

However, Jamieson, who works with the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency's human trafficking coordination unit, said that they certainly have no information or indication that trafficking will increase during the games. She said that she has been working very closely with construction company chiefs and police.

The committee's inquiry into trafficking pointed out 7 percent of suspected trafficking victims identified by UK authorities were from Scotland. However, Jamieson said that from April 2009 to March 2010, only 13 out of 49 identified trafficking victims were within Scotland. She said that in Scotland, the authorities were starting to see referrals from domestic servitude and labor exploitation.

The chief executive of the UK Human Trafficking Center, Liam Vernon, said that across the UK 45 percent of suspected victims were identified as alleged victims of sexual exploitation. 27 percent of them were used for labor and 17 percent were used for domestic servitude.