Paedophiles predicted to turn to child trafficking

Paedophiles are likely to start smuggling children into Britain for abuse as part of a new trade in people trafficking, Scotland Yard has warned.

The Metropolitan Police's vice squad believes that "predator paedophiles" may increasingly use a method of abuse called "reverse child sex tourism" to evade tighter controls for convicted sex offenders travelling abroad. Children from countries such as Sri Lanka and the Dominican Republic could be smuggled into the UK, say senior vice officers.

A report by Scotland Yard's clubs and vice unit says that the trafficking in women and children for sexual abuse is now a multi million pound trade in Britain. Criminals made £61m out of 15 people-smuggling operations examined by the unit.

The squad says the new methods of abuse are a result of safeguards on convicted sex offenders, who have to inform the police if they go abroad, as well as a crackdown on child abuse in many countries.

The report says: "The reducing age of the victims provides the greatest cause for concern and may herald the advent of what can be described as 'reverse child sex tourism'.

"Documented cases of trading in children for such practices as 'brothel sales' and 'organ donation' already exist in eastern Europe and elsewhere and everything that is known concerning the modus operandi of traffickers suggests that the next development will be the provision of children to predator paedophiles in situ."

The report says child abusers are now more aware of the legal extra-territorial powers of police and improvements made in the monitoring of their activities. As a result, "[child abusers] will stop putting themselves at risk by travelling to the location of their intended child victims and have the children brought to them instead."

Chief Superintendent Simon Humphrey, the author of the report and head of the vice unit, is calling for tougher penalties for traffickers and pimps and changes to the law to make it easier to obtain convictions against people smugglers.

Under present guidelines, courts are encouraged to pass prison sentences of up to two years, although the maximum penalty allowed is 10 years.

The report also examines the trafficking in women for the sex industry, such as brothels, massage parlours, saunas, escort agencies, hostess bars and table dancing clubs.

Chief Supt Humphrey says that young girls are increasingly being smuggled into Britain, frequently from Eastern Europe. He says that five years ago the age range of the victims was between 20 and 25 but now girls of 16 are frequently being found by police.

He added: "The vast majority of cases involve ruthless commercial sexual exploitation that is characterised by sexual and physical abuse which itself is an intrinsic part of the method of controlling the victims in conditions akin to slavery."

The Metropolitan Police Authority is backing Chief Supt Humphrey's call for stiffer penalties for trafficking of young people. The Authority's Planning, Performance and Review Committee plans to lobby for changes to allow courts to give traffickers longer sentences.

Richard Sumray, head of the committee, said: "The young people involved are subjected to sexual and physical abuse to intimidate them into a life of sexual exploitation.

"Many are very young and become victims of paedophiles and suffer appalling abuse so that the criminal gangs who organise the trade can make huge profits."