Sex Work Disclosure in Austria – Refugees Also Involved?

Human trafficking is among the worst crimes in the world, where not only Austria is embracing the issue. Crime happens everywhere, however, this time, it reached higher levels of concerns.

Why? Because once involving foreigners in the crime, the condition level increases to an international cause. There are reports that Austrian police found Nigerian women prostitutes, doing sex works in sex bars. Those are not legitimate prostitutes with a validation, those are innocent women the talk is about.

The whole situation briefly

Regarding the media speculations, the women were compelled to travel abroad to sell their bodies. Bad guys from their own countries telling lies of how the women are in debt and how the only way of repaying is to do sex work. Those disorientated women thought it was about a curse with some voodoo magic, and that it isn’t an unfortunate case, rather than something bigger, which was forcing them to do sex work.

Quick Info: If you’re really interested in this situation, there’s a lot more to read at Thelocal: https://www.thelocal.at/20161020/refugees-sold-into-forced-prostitution

Police reports state that there were people back in Nigeria persuading them to go, but more like threatening them to do so or else they’ll suffer. The bad guys smuggled them past borders, sold them to traffickers so that the women repay them through prostitution. Many sex bars were the patrons of this evil scheme.

Criminals’ tasks in Austria, Europol intervention

To keep them on the lookout, a ‘madam’ person is there to overwatch their movement. It made the thoughts of escaping a death wish.

The sad thing is that the women thought a curse is the cause of their problems, and if they fail to deliver, their families at home would suffer when madam hears about their misbehavior.

The severity of the matter has been taken by European Police, Europol whose operation was the arrest of 29 victims falling into the wrong hands. There were cases in Vienna, Lower Austria, Tyrol, Vorarlberg and Carinthia, which makes a total of 5 different regions in Austria where the trafficking is conducting.

Judging by the police reaction, nothing made them think that there are gonna be six refugees amongst the rescued women. Those Nigerian women were girls, barely legal girls around 18 years of age. Austrian’s most qualified police officer in duty to combat human trafficking, Gerald Tatzgern shared his story publicly.

As The Austrian Chief of Police Reports

He says that the women were so firm at believing that someone threw a curse upon them. The police couldn’t convince them that they’re finally free. That pretty much made the matter worse because there are consequences as result to trauma.

The women don’t feel safe going anywhere alone. Officer Tatzgern agrees that they couldn’t even go to the mall left to themselves.

Since the matter was worse regarding the behavior of the victims, the women were secured into a shelter intended for abused women, according to reports. After the police had secured everyone, they went on a mission later to investigate the case.

Post-mission

For two days straight they kept breaking in sex bars, brothels, escort agencies, red light districts and pseudo-massage parlors to find suspicious activity. Even some refugee centers were on their search list.

As result of the detailed search, they found more women of different nationalities. Aside to women from Nigeria, there were Serbians, Romanians and Chinese people, victims of human trafficking, just as well, sources say.

Police got into a track of 18 people, finally arresting them because of high doubt of involvement. Unfortunately, they couldn’t find a trace regarding the situation of human trafficking.

However, there is evidence for them that they did other crime, such as fraud, smuggling, and drug dealing. Currently, those allegations await trial.

Concerning problem

Since the escalating situation has gone global, there’s nothing more that Europol can do in terms of finding the bad guys in Nigeria. It’s a concern of the Nigerian government now. Finding the people smuggling the women abroad could help to decrease trafficking percentage in Austria.

This is a not only a threat to Austria, as it seems, it’s a serious case which can isn’t resting, unless mass control is in the business. Apart from that, there’s nothing that can stop these people from committing a sex-related crime like this, unfortunately.