Campaigners claim there is mounting evidence that thousands of women are being coerced into sex work each year after being lured to the UK by criminal gangs intent on exploiting its relatively liberal prostitution laws. On Monday they hosted an online summit with politicians, senior police officers and diplomats to highlight the problem and explore ways to tackling it.
Before speaking at the event, she urged the UK to follow other countries including France, Ireland and Sweden to crack down on the demand that drives sex trafficking by criminalising paying for sex, decriminalising victims and shutting down pimping websites. DS Stuart Peall, who led a nine-month investigation into a gang that trafficked Romanian women for sex across north-west England, also expressed frustration with the legislation in the UK.
To start winning the fight against sex trafficking, the home secretary must crack down on pimping websites and combat demand by criminalising paying for sex.
The Home Office insists it is committed to tackling human trafficking but it is unconvinced that criminalising sex work and pimping websites is effective. However, there are many activities that can be associated with prostitution which are offences. Demand must be stopped. They tended to be targeted by men who begin a relationship with them and then promise to find them legitimate work in the UK, and organise or pay for their travel to the UK.
When the women arrive in the UK they are told they are in debt to a criminal gang and coerced into prostitution. Tactics include debt bondage, physical threats, the withholding of ID cards, surveillance and violence. Sex trade. This article is more than 2 months old. Photograph: Alamy. Matthew Weaver. Mon 26 Oct
