A move in Edinburgh is aiming to encourage victims of sex trafficking to stay and give evidence against human trafficking gangs.

The trafficking victims, who are usually poverty-stricken immigrants that are forced to work as prostitutes, are to be offered free housing and other benefits in return for helping the authorities with their investigations. This will include a stipend to cover basic living expenses of £50-a-week, legal advice, psychological counseling and health care, as well as accommodation, for up to a year.

Councillor Norman Work, vice-convener of the council’s health, social care and housing committee, said: “Human trafficking is unfortunately a growing problem in the UK. The main aim of the protocol is to share information and to safeguard the victims of this crime.”

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With the rise of tourists coming to India has come the rising concerns of child sex tourism spreading even further into India.

An international expert in the field of human trafficking cites that the child sex industry in India has spread from its traditional hubs in Goa and Kerala and is gaining momentum in other areas of the country. As tourism grows those individuals and groups with a sexual interest in children have come to use the infrastructure of the tourist industry carry out their crimes.

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Due to the rising human trafficking statistics in India, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has launched the Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT).

India is a central hub for human trafficking, having porous borders and economically poor neighbors, which fuels the cross-border trafficking of women and children who end up in Indian cities or foreign countries working in bonded labor or in the sex trade. According to UNODC, India receives about 25,000 women and children from Bangladesh annually while 5,000-15,000 are trafficked in from Nepal.

The UN estimates that roughly 150,000 people are trafficked within South Asia every year, but some experts believe the figure could be three times that amount because human trafficking is a increasingly lucrative industry worth $32 billion annually.

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Police in Leicester have “rescued” a woman who they believe had been illegally trafficked to the UK and forced to work as a prostitute.

The woman, who is said to be from South East Asia and to be in her 30’s or 40’s, was discovered when police raided three homes in Leicester. Three people are in custody and are being questioned on suspicion of human trafficking and managing a brothel.

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In a surprising turn of events, Bulgaria abruptly reversed its move toward legalizing prostitution, as a part of Europe’s broader trend to make prostitution illegal in the attempt to combat human sex trafficking.

Bulgaria is a key country for the European sex trade, as thousands of Bulgarian women are sent abroad each year to work as prostitutes, many times against their will. Bulgarian officials cite that women trafficked from their country were often sent to places in Western Europe like Germany and the Netherlands where prostitution is legal.

The fight against legal prostitution also seeks to punish the customers rather than the prostitutes themselves. This anti-prostitution movement has been promoted in large part due to the linkage between prostitution and human trafficking.

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