Forced into sex work and sold online
against their will, trafficked victims
and the websites that host their adverts
are the focus of a new investigation by
the independent anti-slavery
commissioner.
>> Last year alone in the UK, there were
over 5,000 women and girls who were
identified as victims of sexual
exploitation.
And we know that's likely to be just the
tip of the iceberg. They're the women
that we've managed to identify.
In fact, this number has been rising
year on year. And part of the issue has
been that the online world has made it
easier for criminals and traffickers to
identify and um sell those victims of
sexual exploitation online.
>> Those victims will be interviewed as
part of this investigation. In June, Sky
News spoke to one woman who'd been
sexually exploited. Sarah, not her real
name, arrived in the UK on a youth
mobility visa, but she was soon listed
online for sexual services.
>> The man was there to greet me, and one
of the very first things he did was ask
me to hand over my passport to check
that I had the right to work.
I remember him taking me into another
room within his flat and closing the
door behind him and then locking the
door and and then I was raped.
Exploitation signs online include phone
numbers being used across multiple
profiles with different photos, ages,
and locations.
New laws in the UK mean websites have a
duty to report these cases to police,
but there are concerns they aren't being
enforced properly. In a statement,
Offcom told Sky News, "The UK's Online
Safety Act requires sites and apps to
protect people from illegal content,
including facilitating the sexual
exploitation of adults and human
trafficking. We're closely scrutinizing
companies compliance with their duties.
>> We've just got this environment that is
not conducive to the protection of
women, girls, um, and children more
broadly." and uh we urgently need to
look at our laws and make sure they're
fit for purpose.
>> The commissioner will interview victims
throughout September. A report is due
later this year. Dan Whitehead, Sky
News.