Labour MP Tracy Gilbert has accused First Minister John Swinney of ignoring calls to shut down online 'mega-brothels' that she claims are facilitating 'industrial-scale sex trafficking' across Scotland. Gilbert, MP for Edinburgh North and Leith, wrote to Swinney last month urging the Scottish Government to clamp down on adult websites such as AdultWork and Vivastreet, but has yet to receive a reply.
In her letter, Gilbert argued that these websites are breaching Scotland's Human Trafficking and Exploitation Act 2015 by advertising prostitution and enabling the movement of people for sexual exploitation. She called for an immediate police investigation into the operators, stating that the platforms are 'perpetrating the biggest sex trafficking operation in modern Scottish history'.
A report from the UK's Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner in February found nearly 63,000 listings of women across 12 adult websites at a single point in time, with the same sites receiving almost 41.7 million visits in one month. The report described these platforms as a 'ready-made tool for abuse'.
AdultWork has denied the allegations, stating it is a 'legitimate online platform' with strict policies against sexual exploitation, and that it cooperates with law enforcement. Vivastreet also said it takes safety seriously, requiring age and ID verification for adult advertisers and reporting suspicious content to authorities.
Justice Secretary Neil Gray said commercial sexual exploitation is a form of violence against women, but noted that internet regulation powers are reserved to the UK government. He added that the Scottish Government will continue to work with Police Scotland to support victims and tackle online harm.
