Policy & Research

We believe in contributing to positive change by sharing our legal expertise and the expertise of people who have lived experience of the issues we work on.

We respond to policy consultations and write policy briefings on issues that matter to our clients. We also contribute to academic research and to joint monitoring and policy reports, as well as to best practice resources in the areas in which we work.

Explore our resources below, or search for factsheets and resources by topic.

Policy consultation responses

Call for evidence – Racially Minoritised Women: Violence Against Women & Girls: Our response  (PDF)

07/07/2023

JustRight Scotland has submitted a response as part of the Call for Evidence commissioned by Public Health Scotland which aims to develop insights and recommendations to inform violence against women and girls (VAWG) policy and practice in Scotland, including the upcoming refresh of Equally Safe. It also investigates what the current challenges and barriers for services in meeting the needs of racially minoritised women affected by VAWG are and what challenges and barriers they face.

Read our response.

 

Call for evidence from the Home Affairs Committee into Human Trafficking: our response  (PDF)

17/03/2023

JustRight Scotland submitted a response to the Home Affairs Committee on their call for evidence on trafficking. In this inquiry the Home Affairs Committee was seeking responses on the scale of human trafficking in the UK and the forms it takes. It was also investigating whether Government policy, legislation and the criminal justice system can be improved to prevent human trafficking, prosecute perpetrators and protect victims.

Scottish Government’s Consultation on Witchcraft Convictions (Pardons) (Scotland) Bill: our response  (PDF)

21/09/2022

We have submitted our response to the Scottish Government for the Consultation on Witchcraft Convictions (Pardons) (Scotland) Bill.

Our Scottish Women’s Rights Centre are strongly in favour of the posthumous pardon of all those convicted of witchcraft in Scotland. We support efforts to name our common history and redress wrongs because only by sharing a wide public understanding of the roots of misogyny.

Call for evidence from the Independent Strategic Review of Funding and Commissioning of VAWGS: our response  (PDF)

15/08/2022

We have submitted our response to the Independent Strategic Review of Funding and Commissioning of violence against women and girls (VAWGS) by drawing from the experience of our staff, as well as people we represent within the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre (SWRC), the Scottish Refugee and Migrant Centre (SMRC) and the Scottish Anti-Trafficking and Exploitation Centre (SATEC).

We believe that challenging violence against women and girls (VAWG) requires a multi-faceted approach. This includes: a focus on prevention aimed at redressing the inequalities that lead to violence, on strengthening and improving our protection of survivors, and also ensuring and effective response leading to prosecution of perpetrators of violence.

Consultation on proposals for the review into the effectiveness of the Public Sector Equality Duty in Scotland: our response  (PDF)

11/04/2022

We’ve worked with over 20 organisations to highlight that the reforms will not go far enough to lead to real improvements in the lives of people who share protected characteristics. We call for a “fully-fledged collaborative process” with experts in equality and we urge the Scottish Government not to miss the opportunity to make robust changes to improve the lives of marginalised people.

Read our proposals.

Ending Conversion Therapy in Scotland  (PDF)

13/08/2021

Written response to the call for evidence by the Scottish Parliament’s Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee on a petition to end the practice of ‘conversion therapy’ in Scotland, submitted by Amnesty International Scotland, the Human Rights Consortium Scotland and JustRight Scotland on 13 August 2021.

Read the full response.

Scottish Parliament: Protection of Workers from Sexual Harassment  (PDF)

12/02/2018

Written response to call for evidence by the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee of the Scottish Parliament on the protection of workers from sexual harassment and campaigns and initiatives that succeed in bringing about positive cultural change in the workplace, submitted by the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre on 12 February 2018.

Research reports

APPG Migration inquiry into the impact of the EU Settlement Scheme on EU citizens in the UK  (PDF)

02/03/2023

We took part in the drafting of this report which is based on a survey conducted in June / July 2022 on a large number of individuals at a range of stages within the EUSS application and decision-making process.
In total, across all organisations, 2512 EUSS clients have been surveyed per month.
Our experience of being surveyed for this inquiry – alongside other UK organisations, is a testament to the continued attention that the EUSS deserves from Government Ministers and Parliamentarians and it is vital that the EU Settlement Scheme functions well. Vulnerable people need to be protected and future crises need to be avoided.

 

Assisting Trafficked Women: Best Practice Principles  (PDF)

15/12/2020

This report documents and explores best practice principles for integration of women affected by human trafficking for sexual exploitation, drawn from an innovative two-year anti-trafficking project funded by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (EC AMIF: 821581). The project provided trafficked migrant women across Europe with legal advice, information and support in accessing material assistance (social and financial). The lead partner for this project was the Immigrant Council of Ireland with co-partners SOLWODI Germany, BeFree Italy, SURT Spain and the European Network of Migrant Womenand JustRight Scotland.

Assisting Trafficked Women: Summary  (PDF)

15/12/2020

This document summarises best practice principles for integration of women affected by human trafficking for sexual exploitation, set out in full in the accompanying report: “Assisting Trafficked Women: Best Practice Principles” (2020) The project provided trafficked migrant women across Europe with legal advice, information and support in accessing material assistance (social and financial). The lead partner for this project was the Immigrant Council of Ireland with co-partners SOLWODI Germany, BeFree Italy, SURT Spain and the European Network of Migrant Womenand JustRight Scotland.

Gendering Your Response to Ukraine Refugee Crisis  (PDF)

23/05/2022

This statement supports a call to action from all key partners to gender their response to Ukraine Refugee Crisis, fully recognising the risks that women are exposed to and design and develop
their service responses, data collection, monitoring and evaluation that will capture the true extent of need.

Guide to Pro Bono and other free advice in Scotland  (PDF)

30/11/2023

We have worked in collaboration with the Faculty of Advocates and the Law Society of Scotland to publish this Scottish Guide to Pro Bono during our Pro Bono Week’s event hosted in Glasgow last 9th November.

Pro Bono Week is a cross-sector collaborative initiative that through publications, launches, events and comms every November helps support the legal profession’s voluntary provision of free legal help to those in need.

This booklet is a pilot revision for Pro Bono Week 2023 and it was inspired by the Guide to Pro Bono published in England and Wales. Do you have any suggestions for additions to the guide? Have you seen anything that needs correcting?
Please let us know at deans.secretariat@advocates.org.uk

The guide is available here.

Human Trafficking & Modern Slavery: submission to the United Kingdom, UN Periodic Review, 4th cycle, November 2022  (PDF)

01/04/2022

We took part – together with a number of UK based organisations working to prevent and end trafficking, to the submission to the United Kingdom, UN Periodic Review, 4th cycle, November 2022 on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery.

This submission highlights gaps in the UK’s current response and actions. Recommendations cover addressing obstacles to identification and protection measures; the impact of immigration enforcement centred approaches; access to legal aid, the rights of overseas domestic workers; the need for Business Human Rights legislation; and the Seasonal Workers Scheme for agricultural workers.

Improving access to human rights justice in Scotland: Make Human Rights Justice a Reality report  (PDF)

02/11/2023

Alongside Human Rights Consortium Scotland, Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland, Poverty Alliance, Shelter Scotland, CLAN Childlaw and Justice, we have produced “Make Human Rights Justice a Reality” report.

This report is informed by the lived experience of trying to access remedy of community groups and individuals who took part in a series of workshops. This report also draws on the experience of our organisations that work day-by-day with people who experience barriers to justice.

The main purpose of this report therefore is to outline 13 priority actions that will improve access to human rights justice in Scotland. These are:

  • Put all of our human rights into law
  • Ensure everyone knows their rights and how to get them
  • Ensure inclusive communications across the system
  • Provide independent advocacy for all
  • Develop effective non-court routes to justice
  • Improve people’s experience of going to court
  • Remove unfair timescales
  • Value NGO-led public interest litigation
  • Ensure effective remedies for human rights breaches
  • Introduce radical reform of legal aid
  • Remove financial barriers to justice
  • Strengthen accountability bodies
  • Ensure duty bearers take a human rights-based approach

 

A parallel report to Make Human Rights Justice a Reality is also available on the Human Rights Consortium Scotland’s website.

National Referral Mechanism Handbook Joining Efforts to Protect the Rights of Trafficked Persons: A Practical Handbook  (PDF)

24/01/2022

After the publication of the first edition of the NRM Handbook in 2004, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has issued an updated version to provide guidance to OSCE participating States on establishing and strengthening national referral mechanisms (NRM). The purpose of the updated NRM Handbook is to provide essential ‘know-how’ of the working methods, procedures and services required to fulfil NRMs objectives, centering all communications and actions on the protection of victims and the overall prevention of trafficking in human beings.

Real people, real lives: Ten years of advocacy for victims of slavery in the UK  (PDF)

13/09/2019

This report summarises the important work carried out by the Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group since 2009. Through building a ‘critical friendship’ with the UK Government, the ATMG has achieved considerable success, in particular in the areas of legal reform, resource allocation and political attention. The progress made by the UK in implementing the Council of Europe Anti-Trafficking Convention was acknowledged by GRETA in its second report on the UK, published in October 2016, which welcomed the political attention to tackling human trafficking, the adoption of dedicated legislation, as well as the multi-agency approach and engagement with civil society.

REFLECTIONS ON THE UKRAINE SCHEME IN SCOTLAND: Feedback from clients of Ukraine Advice Scotland  (PDF)

04/10/2022

This research gains valuable insight into the reality faced by those who had contacted the Ukraine Advice Scotland (UAS) helpline.
During August 2022 a feedback survey of 9 questions was sent to the clients and 143 survey responses were received. The data was analysed using a thematic coding process undertaken by two authors. 

You can read the full report here.

An Executive Summary is also available for you here

Unlocking Support: A call for action to support age disputed young people in Scotland  (PDF)

16/09/2024

Last September, we launched our groundbreaking report, “Unlocking Support: Age Disputed Young People in Scotland.”
The report reveals critical findings and highlights the pressing need for a unified, proactive approach to address these challenges:

  • Delays in safeguarding referrals
    The report uncovers significant delays in local authority referrals, with young people often waiting weeks or even months for support. In some cases, authorities unlawfully refuse to engage, relying on flawed Home Office age assessments. The requirement for referrals to come via the police adds another obstacle. These delays leave many young people, including trafficking victims, in unsafe conditions, sharing accommodation with adults and facing increased risks of exploitation.
  • Inconsistent age assessments across Scotland
    Even when local authorities engage, the fairness and consistency of their age assessments vary widely. Based on Freedom of Information requests from 32 Scottish local authorities, the report reveals a “postcode lottery” of practice. 41% of young people referred to local authorities are classified as adults after just one brief enquiry, with outcomes differing greatly depending on the local authority. Legal challenges have overturned many of these decisions, raising serious concerns about the accuracy and fairness of the assessments.

Read more on our Executive summary.

Read the legal opinion from Janys Scott KC.