SLAVERY IS NOT A THING OF THE PAST
Sex traffickers evade travel ban to bring nearly 100 women into Scotland for enforced prostitution
NEARLY 100 vulnerable woman were trafficked into Scotland and forced into prostitution despite the lockdown restrictions.
A senior police officer has told the Record that sex traffickers have remained a “significant threat” in the country during the pandemic.
Police Scotland identified 84 sexually exploited victims in the past nine months but have warned the true scale of the problem will be much worse.
Detective Superintendent Fil Capaldi, head of Police Scotland’s National Human Trafficking Unit said: “These are the ones we know of. There are more victims of trafficking out there that we don’t know.
“People must understand this here and now. Slavery is not a thing of the past, it’s happening in every local autho r i ty throughout Scotland.” Police investigations of potential traffickers found there had been no dip in the trading of vulnerable women.
He said: “Sexual exploitation of these women is still very much there. Traffickers have still been open for business throughout Covid and continue to be a significant threat.
“From our experience, the demand hasn’t dropped. In our inquiries around sexual exploitation, we saw there was no let up on transactions.”
Not all 84 women were exploited in Scotland but most had been in the UK and were being moved across the country. In 2019, 114 sex trafficked women were identified.
Capaldi said: “When international borders open up again, we will see a spike in trafficking. The routes will open up again and we will see an influx of people coming to our attention as a result.”
And he said Covid rules may have helped the traffickers keep their vile trade hidden.
He said: “People haven’t been as visible. If the movement of victims was restricted in the first place, then they have been doubly restricted by the Covid measures of lockdown.”
Sexual exploitation is highly lucrative for gangs, who can potentially make millions.
Recent police investigations document hundreds of thousands of pounds moving between bank accounts, with women being sold to punters for about £120 an hour. But the women will see a tiny fraction of that money, if any at all.
Four people were jailed for a total of more than 36 years in 2018 for the trafficking and exploitation of 10 victims for sexual exploitation and sham marriages in Scotland. One victimictim was sold on a street in Glasgow for about £10,000.
Last week, two people were arrested who were sexually exploiting about a dozen trafficked women.
Capaldi said Adult Services websites have continued to profit from the women’s misery.
He said: “There were still men buying sex online and we haven’t seen a drop off in that.
“The websites are the most significant enablers of sexual exploitation linked to trafficking in the UK.”
In the six months to October, the Trafficking Awareness Raising Alliance (Tara) was supporting 73 sex trafficking victims, 38 of whom had been newly referred since April.
The organisation, which supports victims, had been prepared for an influx of referrals during Covid if the demand for women dropped, rendering them no longer profitable. Tara opoperations manager Bronagh Andrew said the spike didn’t arise because punters ignored the risks.
She said: “Trafficked women continue to be exploited and Covid hasn’t stopped that demand.”
Numbers of referrals to Tara continue to rise each year.
The service was accessed by 59 new victims to March 2020, up from 44 last year, and it supported 114 women compared to 83 in 2018/19.
It comes amid the national campaign of 16 days to end violence against women, which began last Wednesday, UN International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Anyone concerned about modern slavery can contact police on 101, the Modern Slavery Helpline on 08000 121 700 or download their Unseen reporting app.