Sex trafficking

The human trafficking arm of Europe's top human rights body is expressing concern over Cyprus' failure to grant free legal aid and expertise to trafficking victims during criminal proceedings.

Britain's Prince Andrew has provided "zero cooperation" to U.S. authorities probing sex trafficking allegedly carried out by deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein and co-conspirators, a prosecutor said on Jan. 27.

Financier Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges in New York, a former law enforcement official said on Aug. 10.

The age of human trafficking victims has dropped down to 14-15. Victims of human trafficking for sexual exploitation are mostly women aged 18 to 35, people trafficked for labour exploitation are of various ages, many of them over 55.

A judge who denied bail for jailed financier Jeffrey Epstein on sex trafficking charges on July 19 said he poses a danger to the public and seems to still have an uncontrollable urge for sexual conduct with or in the presence of underage girls.

American financier Jeffrey Epstein pleaded not guilty on July 8 to charges of sex trafficking as prosecutors accused him of luring dozens of girls as young as 14 to his luxury homes in New York and Florida and paying them for sex acts.

A U.S. jury on June 19 convicted a "self-help" guru of racketeering, sex trafficking and other crimes for his leadership of a cult-like organization of sex slaves he branded like cattle.    

One of Romania's most wanted organised crime bosses is in detention while waiting to be returned to his home country, after a British court ruled on Wednesday to remand him in custody until September 15.

Florin Ghinea, 43, was arrested on Tuesday as he was leaving a gym in Watford, Hertfordshire, according to the National Crime Agency's Armed Operations Unit.

Girls are being trafficked into domestic servitude or sex slavery after their parents illegally marry them off, said officials in the Indian state of Maharashtra on May 1.

Eight people believed to be members of a sex trafficking gang that exploited Eastern European women, mostly from Belarus, were arrested Monday after police raids at Athens brothels.

Police said the women were virtually imprisoned in apartments around Athens and forced into prostitution at various brothels.