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You can find a full list of the references quoted below on our research page (opens new window).

How many women are trafficked into the UK for sexual exploitation?

Whilst reports from trafficking survivors, specialist police, expert organisations and research bodies prove that sex trafficking exists, no-one knows exactly how many victims of sex trafficking there are in the UK:

  • Project Acumen3, a study by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) estimates that there are at least 2,600 female adult victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation in England and Wales.
  • The UK’s human trafficking victim identification and support framework, the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), recorded 1,254 potential victims of trafficking in the UK referred from 1 April 2009 to 31 December 2010, of whom 537 were trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation. (UK government’s 2011 human trafficking strategy)
  • London police estimate that 70 percent of the 88,000 women involved in prostitution in England and Wales are under the control of traffickers (US State Department, 2009)
  • A report by the Home Affairs Select Committee in 2009 estimated that there are 5,000 trafficked women in the UK.
  • The End Violence against Women Campaign (EVAW) has said the number is closer to 10,000.
  • More than 80% of trafficking victims are women and girl children, who are trafficked for sexual exploitation. This may be prostitution, lap dancing, pornography or several other types of exploitation (the Poppy Project)
  • The government reported it convicted 31 trafficking offenders for sexual exploitation under its Sexual Offences Act and convicted two offenders for forced labour under its Asylum and Immigration Act in 2009, an increase over the 23 convictions achieved in 2008 (US State Department, 2010)
  • More than 700 individuals have been referred to The Poppy Project – a specialist UK shelter that assists survivors of sex trafficking.

Why are numbers so vague?

  • Sex trafficking is a hidden crime.  Trafficked women do not work the streets, they are hidden in brothels, massage parlours and saunas.  Most victims of sex trafficking are never identified.
  • Studies use different methodologies resulting in differing results.
  • Massive expertise is needed by police to uncover and support victims.
  • Lack of support and protection for victims - trafficked women and girls may not come forward due to fear for the safety of their loved ones, concerns about their own detention / immigration status and stigmatisation.
  • Organised crime networks are extremely sophisticated. The fluidity of European borders has made it easier to transport people for sex trafficking in a hidden way.
  • There is stigma associated with paying for sex, which makes it less likely that clients will come forward with information

Who pays for sex in the UK?

We also don't know exactly how many men perpetuate trafficking through paying for sex in the UK:

  • 5 – 7  % of men in the UK now pay for sex (Home Office, 2009)
  • 10% of men in UK pay for sex (Groom and Nandwandi, 2006)
  • Total number of clients range from 2.2 million to 10.6 million a year  – a range of 11 to 50% of UK males aged 15 to 79 (Home Office, 2009)
  • Men first pay for sex during late teens or mid- 20s, though the average range of male clients tends to be in 30s or early 40s (Home Office, 2009).
  • Clients tend to be married, employed and more educated than the women they are visiting, and to come from all ages and classes

Why has sex trafficking into the UK increased?

  • A 2005 study estimated that the numbers of men buying sex had doubled in a decade, an increase prompted by " a greater acceptability of commercial sexual contact" (Ward et al, 2005).
  • The internet has changed the way clients find women working in prostitution
    • Adverts for facilities and online prices (including for escort sites, individual escorts, massage parlours and saunas) are easily accessible
    • Sites such as ‘Punternet’ enable clients to exchange information and reviews of women working in prostitution.
  • The availability of free internet porn also has the effect of fostering a new, more open attitude towards paying for sex.

Why do people deny that sex trafficking exists?

There are some who benefit from prostitution, including those who enjoy paying for sexual services, as well as the minority of women in prostitution who choose to provide these services as a form of income.

Such groups believe prostitution is victimless.  They may prefer prostitution to be legalised or decriminalised and the existence of sex trafficking undermines these demands.  We do not speak for or represent these groups.

We speak out instead for those suffering due to sex trafficking and believe that you can’t end sex trafficking without addressing prostitution.