A criminal group that used Ukrainian women for sexual exploitation was arrested in Spain.
The detained men were selling women into sexual slavery, Spanish police say. Most of their victims are Ukrainians. The criminal group included citizens of Russia (2), Ukraine (2) and Spain (1). At the moment, how reports Europol knows of 14 victims from their activities.
Those arrested found their victims via the Internet. They introduced themselves as managers of employment agencies and offered vacancies for hostesses* and cleaners with good wages. In addition, they promised paperwork and a work permit.
Of course, the suspects did not keep their promises. They used women to provide sexual services in one of the nightclubs in Almeria (a city in southern Spain). It is known that Among the victims, a significant number of Ukrainians, as well as citizens of Belarus. They were persecuted on ethnic grounds, Europol added:
“The victims were housed in three houses provided by one of the leaders of the club. The suspects isolated the women from society, trying to minimize the risks of the crime being detected by the police or the women escaping. This allowed them to completely contain, control and exploit the victims.”
Those arrested received huge profits from their “activities.” Law enforcement officers conducted searches and confiscated two luxury cars, cash, electronic devices, employment contracts for work in the service sector and other documents related to the club where the victims were exploited.
At the very beginning of the war in Ukraine, in March 2022, our publication told that criminal gangs are trying to involve Ukrainian refugees in sexual exploitation. The Red Cross warned the Catalan police about this. Unknown people lure women with offers of asylum.
Organizations working with refugees are sounding the alarm due to the intensification of the mafia at the border points of Ukraine. Criminal gangs involved in trafficking women and children try to lure women into sex trafficking networks by making false promises of asylum in record time and taking advantage of their vulnerable position. The Red Cross in Catalonia has discovered that the mafia is now active not only at border points, but also in Barcelona. A humanitarian organization has warned Spanish police to launch an investigation.
*Hostess. After the concept went through many transformations, it began to be translated from English as “hostess.” In the modern understanding, a hostess is someone who “meets guests” in a restaurant, hotel, etc. The main task of people in this profession is to receive guests and accompany them.
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