Plans to tackle human trafficking and make it easier to prosecute perpetrators have been announced by the Justice Secretary.
Kenny MacAskill said a new statutory aggravation, which can be added to existing charges, is to be introduced.
Statutory aggravations are intended to highlight an element of a charge, giving judges the option of additional sentencing for that part. It means people carrying out other offences can also be prosecuted for human trafficking if it is proved the original crime was committed in connection with the illegal trade.
The move is one of a series of measures agreed at a summit hosted by Mr MacAskill in Edinburgh. Other actions agreed include raising awareness and improving training among frontline professionals, putting measures in place to improve care and support for victims and ensuring robust data collection and analysis.
A report published on Thursday shows that 93 potential victims of trafficking were referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) in Scotland last year. The NRM allows a variety of agencies to contribute towards identifying, protecting and supporting potential trafficking victims.
The Inter-departmental Ministerial Group Report on Trafficking said the majority of the victims of recovered in Scotland were from Romania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In October last year, two sex traffickers were jailed for a total of almost five years for controlling prostitutes in the UK.
In the first case of its kind in Scotland, Stephen Craig was jailed for three years and four months for arranging travel, accommodation and advertising for 14 women. His co-accused, Sarah Beukan was jailed for a year and a half for her part in the network operated by Craig. They were the first people to be convicted in Scotland under new legislation covering trafficking within the UK.
Mr MacAskill said: "We want to send out the message that Scotland is closed for business to traffickers. We will do everything in our power to crack down on those who exploit people for forced labour, sex or domestic servitude and making trafficking easier to prosecute will give our law enforcement agencies a powerful new tool in their armoury.
"The nature of this crime is such that no one country or agency acting on its own can tackle it effectively. The key to eradicating it is partnership working - whether that is working at a local level or working with international partners to provide a solution."
Councillor Jean Jones, chairwomann of Cosla's Strategic Migration Partnership, said: "We are hopeful that today's summit is the catalyst for a renewed effort for agencies in Scotland to work together to tackle this abhorrent crime. This will only be achieved by working together collectively, sharing information and intelligence and raising public awareness."
