The latest report from the UK anti-slavery commissioner, Eleanor Lyons, is a call to action on websites used to advertise sex workers – some of whom are victims of trafficking and exploitation. Researchers studied 12 adult service sites (ASWs), which between them had 63,000 listings in January, and attracted 41.7m visits. When analysed with a tool, known as the Sexual Trafficking Identification Matrix, which is also used by police, just 8% of listings showed no warning signs. These include the same phone number appearing across multiple ads, and phrases such as “new to the area”.
The watchdog has identified alarming gaps in the law, in the approach taken by Ofcom, and in policing. The commissioner’s recommendations demand a response. The sharp recent rise in referrals of potential victims of sexual exploitation makes the issue all the more pressing. Between 2020 and 2025, they increased by 78% – from 1,618 to 2,887 women and girls a year (men and boys are more commonly referred for labour or criminal exploitation, including “county lines”).
