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NEW: After uncovering a series of brothels in London earlier this year with mainly Romanian women forced to work in the sex industry against their will, we went to Romania to find out why so many children and women are trafficked here... @itvnews
In a refuge for rescued children, forced to work in the sex trade in Romania, a 14 year old girl is pregnant to one of her abusers. It’s her, and other children in this refuge - 150 miles from Bucharest - that would, we’re told, end up in the UK when they’re 18... @itvnews
“It’s the only life they know. They work in flats here when they’re 12, 13, 14. Then the streets when they look a bit older. Then they’re moved to the UK, forced to work in the sex trade, when they’re 18.” Iana Matei has helped hundreds of girls in the 20 years she’s dedicated...
In Bucharest, our @itvnews team is offered repeatedly, by different people - taxi drivers, bar workers, restaurant owners - trips to brothels, where we can “choose whoever we like”, “Romania has the best b*****s”, we’re told.
Daniela’s daughter, she says, was trafficked 6 years ago. She’s now addicted to drugs and works in prostitution. She fell victim to the ‘lover boy’ technique, where traffickers pretend to be boyfriends before moving women around Western Europe...
“I assume these girls have clients in the UK, talk to them, punish them.” This Senator tells @itvnews the UK needs to start addressing the problem and stop blaming the source country. Romania has the highest amount of trafficked women in Europe...
For the full report from myself and @lucywatsonitv - watch @itvnews at Ten, now. https://www.itv.com/news/2020-11-17/romanias-sex-trafficking-trade-there-is-no-other-life-they-know
