Three people have been arrested in Norfolk in the east of England on suspicion of human trafficking. One 59-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman remain in police custody while a woman in her 30s has been released on bail while investigations continue. The arrests are part “Operation Pentameter” a UK wide police operation which is attempting to crack down on human trafficking in the country.
Senior investigating officer, Det Supt Julian Blazeby, who is  leading Operation in the Eastern region said
“These arrests are just the start of our efforts to cut trafficking activity. Sexual exploitation is not acceptable and we will seek to make further arrests of those who are responsible for this crime.
“We would appeal to anyone who has knowledge of trafficking activity to come forward and tell us. Your information will be treated in the strictest of confidence and you could be saving someone from a misery of slavery and exploitation.”
Anyone with information about human trafficking in the UK can contact the police anonymously on 0800 555111.

There has been an increase in the number of people being trafficked into the Czech Republic according to a survey published by the International Organisation for Migration and the anti-trafficking NGO La Strada. Although the numbers being trafficked into sexual exploitation have fallen, there has been a rise in those who have been trafficked into forced labour particularly on construction sites, in agriculture and in forestry. People from Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, Vietnam, China and Mongolia are the main victims to this offence which is controlled by organised crime. As the survey was commissioned by the Czech Interior Ministry it is to be hoped that better protection for migrant workers will be the result of the research.

Bahrain is a major destination and transit country for women and children being trafficked by organised crime according to a report published by the Washington-based John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). The victims are largely from Ethiopia, the Philippines, Thailand, Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. The report also states that there are 50,000 people, mainly women, in domestic service in Bahrain who are totally unprotected by the government and as such are vulnerable to slave like conditions. Although there are no figures for trafficking in Bahrain, it is widely accepted that the county’s reliance on migrant workers has lead to a rapid growth in human trafficking. The report claims that a system which allows women to travel from Thailand without a visa for up to 15 days has helped traffickers to force women into prostitution in the country.

Thirteen men in Pennsylvania, USA have been accused of trafficking girls as young as 12 years old into forced prostitution. Judges and law enforcement officers noticed that they were arresting and charging the same young girls over and over again. Often they had the money already prepared to pay the fine. It became clear that they were being controlled by a child sex gang and forced to work truck stops in the Toledo area. Many of the girls were from north Ohio. One of the accused claimed that the young girls were working of their own accord;

“She’s choosing the best investment for her money,” he said. “The prosecutors are trying to make it like a bunch of us running around with candy in our pocket, going to parks and picking up little kids. It wasn’t like that at all - period.”

In fact, it is illegal to employ a 14 year old as a prostitute and taking these girls across state lines could mean that the men are charged with human trafficking.

“They just become accustomed to that lifestyle,” Chip Burrus, the FBI’s acting assistant director for criminal investigations said, “You can’t consent to be a prostitute at age 14.”

The European parliament voted this week to endorse a resolution against human trafficking. Particular concern was expressed over the possible trafficking of women and children into Germany during the world cup in June. There was also a call for an EU-wide anti-trafficking day which could raise awareness about the problem in Europe. The members of the European parliament called on the European Commission and member states to do more to inform the public about human trafficking and also to provide counselling and safe houses for victims of human trafficking. The resolution also urges all member states to ratify the Counsel of Europe Convention on Human Trafficking. The final decision will be made by member states, but it is to be hoped that governments will be listening to what the European Parliament has said, as there is much to be done before human trafficking is effectively combated in Europe.