What's the problem?

There are more slaves in the world than 200 years ago.
Many of them are women enslaved in the sex industry.

More than a million girls and women are forced to work in India's red light districts. Up to 15 per cent of all the prostitutes in that country are children.

Every year, 20,000 women are trafficked from Bangladesh into India and more than two thirds of them end up in the sex trade.

They are lured by false promises of husbands and good jobs. Yet often within hours of arriving they are imprisoned and subjected to brutal attacks. Before they even know where they are, their spirit has been broken.

The Church Mission Society's partners at both ends of this pernicious trade - Bangladesh and India - have alerted us to the sheer scale of this evil exploitation. Now we're asking you to help us help them.

More facts...

The problem is aggravated by the extreme poverty which the victims long to escape

Victims of trafficking are often misunderstood and maligned by society. Even if they escape and return home, they are regarded as outcasts for "choosing" to be sex workers.

Women and children trapped in this lifestyle find it difficult to protect themselves from STDs and other diseases including AIDS; and when they are ill they may not be allowed to leave the brothel to visit a doctor.

The numbers of victims on the Indian sub-continent alone is shocking, but they are no more than a quarter of the global problem, which also affects Africa and the Arab world.