Sex slaves

The new offense of trafficking in human beings, which was introduced in Spain’s penal code a little more than two years ago, is starting to bear fruit. Nine people have been sentenced to prison sentences of between five and 22 years for having taken part in the capture, transfer and detention of five women through deceit, violence and the exploitation of their vulnerability in order to oblige them to prostitute themselves. This conduct, known as trafficking of women, has ceased to be as hard to pin down under the penal code as it was before the reform, but it remains difficult to gather proof of it, and even more so to reinsert its victims back into society.

The main difficulty lies in the state of terror in which these women live, subject as they are to constant ill-treatment and living under the threat of punishment being meted out to their family members in their home countries if they try to escape. This is the reason why so few victims have taken advantage of the benefits afforded by Spanish law if they collaborate in dismantling these criminal networks. Although they were afforded protected witness status and work and residence permits, of the 763 women offered this, only 98 took advantage. The devastated psychological state in which many find themselves is an obstacle to them seeking help. That increases the importance of the collaboration of those, particularly customers, who suspect that what is at hand is a case of cruel and humiliating slavery in which women are sexually exploited and kept in clandestine prisons.

Victim numbers increasing

This is not a rare phenomenon nor is it easy to pursue. And it is in on the rise. A study by the European Union’s statistics office Eurostat estimates that between 2008 and 2010 the number of victims increased by 18 percent. The study also indicates that after Italy, Spain is the country with the largest number of sexual exploitation cases detected and estimates that the business moves more than five million euros a day. In 2011, the police calculated the number of victims at 14,730, but after raids only 1,082 cases were identified. In that year, 1,200 people were arrested for trafficking in women, while legal proceedings were initiated in 64 different cases.

A lot remains to be done and the measures adopted by the Interior Ministry to facilitate complaints, such as the provision of a free telephone number (900 10 50 90) and the guarantee of anonymity are to be welcomed. But more needs to be done in terms of providing refuge for the victims and helping reinsert them back into society. The example of those who successfully manage to turn their situation around will, in the long run, be the best instrument in this struggle.