Police uncover human trafficking misery

The alarming results from the first few weeks of the UK's biggest-ever operation to tackle human trafficking in the sex industry can be revealed by The Scotsman.

Seven women have been identified as trafficking victims in Edinburgh since police began Pentameter 2 in October.

Most of the women are from the Far East - mainly Thailand and Malaysia - with many thought to have travelled to Britain to pay off a family debt, ending up in Edinburgh's sex industry after becoming "debt-bonded" to a relative living in the UK.

In one case, a Romanian woman who arrived in London on the promise of work found herself repeatedly raped by her traffickers, who seized her passport. She was found working in a brothel in Edinburgh. Four raids were carried out on brothels operating out of flats in the city, leading to three arrests.

In Strathclyde, 13 suspected trafficked women have been identified following seven raids. Three people have been reported to the procurator-fiscal.

Police are now extending Pentameter 2 into the New Year.

Detective Chief Inspector David Bullen, who is in charge of Pentameter 2 for Lothian and Borders Police, said: "Like the rest of the UK, we have a human trafficking problem. The problem we are encountering is getting them to speak to us. Many are so mistrustful of the police, and damaged, that they find it extremely hard to open up.

"But they have undoubtedly been trafficked here against their will, often forced into prostitution to pay off family debts."

A spokesman for Grampian Police said they were "actively investigating a number of lines of inquiry".

Amnesty International and Lothian and Borders Police have joined forces to mount a campaign raising awareness about the trafficking of human beings.

A display describing the lives of those who have been trafficked has been placed at Edinburgh Airport, as transport hubs have been identified as key areas in the human trafficking process.

Amnesty International campaigner Naomi McAuliffe said: "It is vitally important that we raise awareness of this trade, we have come across stories of women being bought and sold in the cafs of airport lounges."

It has been estimated that as many as 700 foreign women have been trafficked into Scotland's sex industry.

Anne Hamilton, from Glasgow-based Trafficking Awareness Raising Alliance - which will today host a conference on the problem - said it was currently supporting 17 trafficking victims in the city.

Throughout the UK, the first Pentameter operation resulted in 88 victims of trafficking being rescued from 22 countries. There were a total of 232 arrests, which led to 134 people being charged with a variety of offences.

NATASHA'S ORDEAL

WHEN Natasha, not her real name, was 18 she wanted to leave Latvia and come to the UK to study. But her family in a rural part of the country could not afford that, so she found a job in a local caf.

One day one of her mother's friends told her that she knew people who were living in London and needed someone to help with their first baby.

Natasha was very interested - this was a way she could practice her English, live in the UK and send money home to provide medical care for her grandmother. Natasha spoke to the family in London on the telephone and they arranged for her flights and to collect her at the airport.

When she arrived at the airport, Natasha was collected by a man called Alex and taken to a flat somewhere in London.

There was a heavily pregnant woman there, but as soon as Natasha arrived she disappeared. At this point Natasha began to feel uneasy. Alex raped Natasha and told her she was now a prostitute. He threatened to tell her grandmother that she was a prostitute.

After three months Alex sold her to a man called Dimitri for 3,000. He told her that she was now his girlfriend and he respected her. They then drove to Glasgow where he had some friends. Dimitri said she needed to remain as a prostitute so they could get a place of their own and save up for their future together. Devoid of hope, she agreed.

Dimitri would drop her off and collect her from brothels in Glasgow. She was not allowed to socialise on her own, and would be beaten when she did. Once he beat her so badly she couldn't leave the house for weeks. An end to her tragedy only came after police raided a brothel while she was there.