Women for sale in the Gatwick (England) slave auctions

This is London ^ | March 7, 2007

[NYer]

Women are being sold into prostitution in modern day "slave auctions" at Britain's airports, it emerged yesterday.

The illegal immigrants are sold to the highest bidder for up to £8,000 a time. They are then forced to work in brothels where they can earn up to £800 a day for their "owner".

The chilling reality of human trafficking was spelled out yesterday by senior police officers at Scotland Yard.

Detective Superintendent Mark Ponting, of the Metropolitan Police, said young women from all over the world are trafficked into Britain after being promised well-paid work in bars or cafes.

But within hours of their arrival, they are sold to pimps. The youngest known girl victim was just 14.

In one notorious case, women were openly sold outside a coffee shop at Gatwick Airport.

Officers believe women are frequently raped, locked in flats and given no money to prevent them from running away from their captors.

Mr Ponting said: "There is some intelligence to suggest that individuals are sold at locations close to airports. One woman could fetch between £6,000 and £8,000. She could then earn her buyer £800 a day. It is appalling.

"These traffickers are making huge amounts of money from it and that is what we are trying to break. It has become a market.

"You have to remember the trauma and difficulties associated with this crime. Many of these women are so traumatised that it is just inconceivable they would give evidence in a trial.

"These women have been held against their will, raped many times and their lives have been ruined. That is why the courts treat this offence so seriously."

Commander Sue Wilkinson, also of the Met, added: "This trafficking has been reported as modern day slavery. I would not argue with that."

Scotland Yard yesterday launched a dedicated human trafficking team.

The 11-strong unit will be based in the capital and will seek to smash the gangs who force immigrants into brothels and sweatshops.

[Darnright]

And how quick are these people to look down their noses at southern states in the US, tut-tutting that close to 150 years ago they had slaves?

Hey, Europe! We did something to eliminate slavery. How's about joining us?

[dfwgator]

By whom?

By the Methodists, of course.

[FastCoyote]

This is pretty incredible.

[art_rocks]

I wouldn't be so quick to assume that it isn't also happening here among the illegal immigrants.

[quack]

Oh,it is,BIGTIME.

http://www.waff.com/Global/story.asp?S=6156422

[Rakkasan1]

I wouldn't be so quick to assume that it isn't also happening here among the illegal immigrants.

It is.

[Rakkasan1]

I wouldn't be so quick to assume that it isn't also happening here among the illegal immigrants.

It is.

[Ditto]

Probably by those with the "best" record of selling people into slavery - Muslims of Arab ancestry.

My first guess would be Muslims of Albanian ancestry, but there are a number of other possibilities including Russians, Bulgarians, Jamaicans or West Africans who work the sex trade as well.

Either way, I believe the penalties for slave traders from 200 years ago are still very appropriate today --- death -- and it should be enforced.

[Vaduz]

No photos or names of pimps / so much for full report,Remember it's what the media does not repory that counts.

[FormerACLUmember]

I always get on the airport line behind the sweating 300 pound old man.

[Cecily]

England needs another crusader for human rights like William Wilberforce to rise up and fight against human trafficking of any kind in the UK.

[Lorianne]

Just who are the customers?

This is the question. Without the demand, this problem will never go away.

[keats5]

"The 11-strong unit will be based in the capital and will seek to smash the gangs who force immigrants into brothels and sweatshops."

Wow. Eleven. That should end the slavery trade. /s

[AIM-54]

I agree that Islam has a huge problem.

I've always had a problem with the trafficking coming out of Russia and Eastern Europe since the Soviet Union imploded. This problem has been unadequately addressed, so I'm inclined resist shifting the spotlight off the European problem.

You are ultimately correct, but Islam is a 'bridge too far' for me at this point.

[keats5]

Sometimes I wonder about some of these Chinese restaurants here at home. They seem to teem with pretty young girls that never smile and can hardly speak English.

[Elsie]

We're importing illegals from Mexico for the very same reasons.

They are just doing the work Americans won't do!

[Albion Wilde]

"Probably by those with the "best" record of selling people into slavery - Muslims of Arab ancestry." That may well be true, but it's irrelevant to this problem.

Why do you say that? It is an important identifier of whom to look for and what suspects to question. Political correctness costs some women their lives if the Left continues to insist that the police suspect little old WASP grannies from East Wappingshire instead of looking at the real suspects.

[PzLdr]

"Women are like elephants. I like to look at them, but I wouldn't want to own one" - W.C Fields

[hinckley buzzard]

This cannot be true. Everyone knows prostitution is a victimless crime. Obviously a simple misunderstanding between the business sector and the enforcement people.

[colorado tanker]

There are some Albanian gangs involved, but this really isn't a "muslim problem." The worst offenders are the mafia in the FSU who traffic attractive Eastern European girls who have a huge wage gap with Western women, so they jump at the chance when they're told the creeps can arrange a legitimate job for them.