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Justice for victims of sex-trafficking in Europe |
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News
Tuesday, 4 November, a group of six men convicted of subjecting trafficked women into sexual exploitation in the United Kingdom have been sentenced and jailed. Their conviction serves as a reminder that sex-trafficking is an issue that affects all regions of the world.
The two young women who testified against them were trafficked from Eastern Europe (Lithuania and Slovakia). They were told by male acquaintances from their home countries that they would receive well paying jobs in the United Kingdom. The Lithuanian woman left a newborn child with family members so that she could work and support her child. Instead, she was passed on between traffickers until she reached an unexpected destination—working as a prostitute in the United Kingdom.
During the trials, the women told stories of harrowing abuse. The Slovakian teenager (16) described how she was sexually assaulted by her traffickers, and forced to take drugs at knifepoint. The women lived under conditions of slavery as they were kept under lock, sold and traded between brothel owners and repeatedly raped. This happens to thousands of women around the world daily. The U.S. State Department estimates that each year 600,000-800,000 people worldwide are trafficked into forced and sexual labor. Of this, approximately 80% are women and girls.
According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), in developed and transitional countries, such as those in Europe, trafficking accounts for 75% of all forced labor. A trafficked person that works in the sex industry can generate approximately US$ 67,200 per year. There exists an economic incentive for this type of clandestine labor. Though prosecuting perpetrators of sex-trafficking is a way to fight and address the issue, educating those who are purchasers of such sexual service is a direct way to put an end to the market demand that perpetuates sex-trafficking.
In Europe, some organisations are taking this initiative. One of them is the Mediterranean Institute for Gender Studies. They have released a sex-trafficking postcard that aims to inform possible purchasers of sexual services the dangers of trafficking. It includes basic information about sex-trafficking as well as resources to contact if one suspects that a person they have encountered is a victim of sex-trafficking.
Read the ILO article ’’Forced labour: labour exploitation and human trafficking in Europe’’
View the Mediterranean Institute for Gender Studies sex-trafficking postcard
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