Theres an article in The Mirror today “revealing” the sex trade in women brought in Romania and sold in to prostitution in the UK http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/romanian-girls-trafficked-sold-sex-3175123
Firstly I cant really believe its a “reveal”, this is hardly a new phenomenon is it? Dont most people know that sex trafficking is an enormous industry and that there are actually more people in slavery today than ever before in history, and surprise surprise the majority of them are women.
Secondly, and this is the bit that really pissed me off, is the horrible slant the article is given, selling this problem and one of immigration and lack of border controls.
The articles opening line is of the pimp saying “England's opened the gates and can't do nothing…” like it wasnt happening before.
It follows up with details of how gang bosses will “make millions over the EU scrapping of our border restrictions with Romania and Bulgaria.” Again, they made millions before, border restrictions did not stop this trade.
Then we have the pimp saying “They can’t do nothing to you. Romania is in Europe now” followed by “Like many gang bosses throughout Eastern Europe Meder knows the EU policy of “free movement” between member states works well for them.
Immigration restrictions placed on Bulgaria and Romania when they joined the EU in 2007 ran out on New Year’s Day, allowing their citizens easy entry to the UK. Watchdogs estimate European crime lords already net £20billion a year from the vice trade. And experts fear that number will continue to soar because of the end of restrictions.”
And finally “Last night Tory MP Peter Bone, who previously chaired the all-party group on trafficking, said the end of restrictions was “a gift to traffickers”. He said: “That’s one of the disadvantages of free movement.”
This is NOT a border control or immigration problem. It is plain and simple a problem with men buying women for sex and not giving a shit how they came to be in the terrible situation they are in. How can anyone read this and not be outraged that thousands of very young women have been duped, coerced and bullied into a life of prostitution.
The article itself states that these particular women were being auctioned off with the promise that they could service up to 20 men a day, and that they have no other life choices once they finish school. 20 men a day. It makes me want to weep for them, and yet this is barely concealed scaremongering and playing into the hands of UKIP and every other xenophobe who reads this. The comments below the article pretty much bear this out.
Right now, this second, prostituted women are being raped by men who live and work among us, yet their hellish lives are being used to score points in an immigration argument. As long as men are free to buy and sell women for sex this trade will continue, and no amount of border control or UKIP policy will change that.
