An independent anti-slavery investigation targets adult services platforms where trafficked and vulnerable women are advertised. The commissioner will interview women who report being trafficked into sex work and publicly listed on sites that let users search by postcode. A 2021 Scottish study found that easy online advertising has accelerated the sex-trafficking trade, and campaigners describe these sites as hotbeds for trafficking. Sites have a duty to report suspected exploitation, but police response is often inconsistent and victims frequently distrust authorities. Indicators of trafficking include repeated listings of the same women at different locations and shared phone numbers across profiles.
The independent anti-slavery commissioner has launched an investigation into so-called pimping websites amid concern at the level of exploitation of trafficked and vulnerable women on those platforms. Eleanor Lyons will interview women who say they have been trafficked into sex work and advertised on adult services websites such as Vivastreet that allow users to browse images and videos of women selling sex in their local area.
The investigation follows on from a 2021 Scottish parliamentary study on commercial and sexual exploitation, which found that the ease and speed with which pimps and traffickers can now advertise their victims to potential customers had turbocharged the sex-trafficking trade. Adult service websites, where you can go online, type in your postcode and find hundreds of women for sale, are a hotbed for trafficking, Lyons said.
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