The online sex industry is one of the biggest avenues for traffickers to exploit their female victims.
Adult service websites (ASWs) provide a platform that allows gangs to run forced prostitution rings that are easily accessible through mainstream search engines such as Google.
Sex for sale websites
Two of the most notorious sites currently operating in the UK are Vivastreet and Adultworks.
One of the keywords which turns up numerous results for each city is ‘new’.
Other websites like Punternet allow men to review the women they have paid to have sex with.
It emphasised that the sites are used by “organised crime groups and third party exploiters”.
Organised crime groups are said to be hiding “in plain sight”.
To date Google has not responded.
Are you a victim of human trafficking or modern slavery in Scotland? Have you witnessed it in your area? Call the Modern Slavery Helpline on 08000 121 700. Or call Police Scotland on 101 or 999 in an emergency.
If you would like to speak to our Impact investigations reporter Sean O’Neil please email soneil@dctmedia.co.uk
The Exploited
The Exploited is a special investigation exposing the hidden prevalence of human trafficking and modern slavery in our local communities. Across rural Perthshire and the Highlands to urban Aberdeen and Dundee – victims, and their abusers – are hiding in plain sight.
Read the full series:
- Young mother raped daily in Perth flat after being trafficked across Europe
- Suspected trafficking victim jailed after being found at Fife cannabis farm
- Fears Vietnamese trafficking gangs will bring crystal meth labs to Tayside
- Tayside farm workers controlled by criminal gangs
The Impact team
- Words by Sean O’Neil
- Design by Cheryl Livingstone
- Illustrations and graphics by Roddie Reid
- Data visualisations by Lesley-Anne Kelly
- Videos and photography by Drew Farrell, Steve Brown and Blair Dingwall
