Half of trafficked sex workers in Britain are Chinese

A study by British Police found that 17,000 of the 30,000 women involved in the sex trade in Britain are migrants, including a majority from China, Thailand and eastern Europe, Sky News reported.

The report titled "Setting The Record" says that the women forced into the sex industry are made to pay off bonds of up to 30,000 pounds ($46,700) by criminal gangs responsible for the underground trade.

Police investigators spoke to over 200 women to find out the circumstances in which they were living.

The largest number of brothels was found in London (2,103), followed by Yorkshire and the Humber (534), the South East (426) and the West Midlands (342).

"It's enlightened us in terms of the problems that are associated with the Chinese community and some vulnerabilities that were there," said  Chris Eyre, a police official.

"We've seen an increase in the number of southeast Asian women being trafficked into Britain. It has been a significant proportion of the number that have been identified through the research, so it has enlightened us in terms of what faces Chinese women who are trafficked," he said.

There is a great deal of work going on between the British and Chinese governments to make sure those women who are vulnerable in this respect are protected and supported, he added.

Meanwhile, Immigration Minister Damian Green said that any number of people trafficked into Britain was "unacceptable".

"It is vital that we re-focus our efforts both at targeting the criminal gangs that trade in this human misery and in helping victims escape and recover from their ordeal," he said.