September 3, 2025
The UK’s anti-slavery commissioner said at least 5,000 women and girls were identified as victims of sexual exploitation last year.
The UK’s Anti-Slavery Commission has opened a formal investigation into the rise of “chilling” prostitution websites described as “hotbeds” of exploitation.
Eleanor Lyons, the UK’s anti-slavery commissioner, announced a probe into hundreds of adult services websites operating in the country that allow users to purchase women by entering a postcode, Sky News reports. She noted that at least 5,000 women and girls were identified as victims of sexual exploitation last year, calling the figure likely just “the tip of the iceberg.”
“Adult service websites, where you can go online, type in your postcode and find hundreds of women for sale, are a hotbed for trafficking,” Lyons said. “We will do a full call for evidence on why these websites are so damaging. At a bare minimum, they should be far more heavily regulated.”
Some sites are complying with safeguards, but others are ignoring trafficking red flags, including the use of identical language to advertise women across regions, multiple women being listed under the same phone number, and reviews pointing to coercive control.
While prostitution is legal in England and Wales, controlling it for profit (often referred to as pimping) and the more serious crime of trafficking are illegal. The Online Safety Act imposes some obligations on adult services websites, but Lyons is pushing for stricter enforcement and stronger regulations.
“I speak to survivors of sexual exploitation as part of my work, and they tell me that they were advertised online against their will,” Lyons said.
“Now, as adult service websites were part of this exploitation and so there are clear gaps, there are clear problems in this area, and we need the government to look at this more seriously,” Lyons added. “We need to identify those issues so that we’re helping victims of exploitation who are going through some really horrific things on a day-to-day basis in communities right across the country.”
As part of the commissioner’s investigation, officials will speak with survivors and authorities and map adult services websites, with a final report expected later this year.
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