Women Being Sold 'Like Pizzas' on Sex-For-Sale Websites, Chilling Report Warns
A devastating report from the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner has exposed the sickening exploitation of thousands of women being marketed "like pizzas" on sex-for-sale websites operating legally in the UK. The investigation calls for urgent ministerial action to address what it describes as ready-made tools for abuse that enable organised crime to profit from misery.
Harrowing Testimonies from Survivors
Survivors provided chilling accounts to Commissioner Eleanor Lyons, with one woman revealing she considered getting tattoos so her body could be identified if killed by a buyer. Another stated bluntly: "It's not acceptable that men can go out and buy women like pizzas... it affects society as a whole." The report found these platforms allow customers to purchase sex anonymously while criminals exploit multiple women simultaneously.
Shocking Scale of Exploitation Uncovered
The commissioner's office analysed nearly 63,000 advertisements across 12 websites, discovering that 59% showed at least three indicators of trafficking or exploitation. These indicators include multiple adverts linked to the same phone number, suggesting organised control. Alarmingly, fewer than one in ten adverts showed no exploitation indicators. In just one month, these 12 websites attracted almost 42 million visits.
Children Accessing Explicit Content Without Checks
The investigation revealed children can contact sellers and access explicit images without proper age verification. Commissioner Lyons declared: "When organised crime can market victims openly and children can access these platforms without proper checks, the system is clearly failing the vulnerable and shielding criminals profiteering."
Survivors Describe Ineffective Safety Measures
Women reported that safety mechanisms on adult services websites were completely ineffective. One survivor received rape and death threats from a buyer after refusing to meet. Another explained how traffickers controlled communications: "None of us had access to the emails from buyers. They came directly through him, he answered as if he was us and then he would send me a message saying, oh, this person, you know, this is where you're going to meet them."
Growing Political Pressure for Action
Last year, more than 50 MPs called for these sites to be banned, while safeguarding minister Jess Phillips warned: "These sites - we know what they are - we're coming for you." Legislation currently progressing through Parliament would allow courts to suspend websites facilitating sexual exploitation. Survivor Mia de Faoite described the platforms as "a modern day slave market" where "men are willing to buy them" and "all of that comes from ordinary Joe-types who are buying women on a daily basis."
Support Services Highlight Devastating Impact
Bronagh Andrew, operations manager of TARA in Glasgow which supports trafficking survivors, reported: "Women supported by TARA over the last 20 years and advertised on such websites rarely profit and present to our services as homeless, destitute and traumatised." The organisation states online advertisements for sex sales are routinely used by criminals and traffickers to advertise vulnerable women within "a world of coercion, exploitation and violence."
Commissioner's Recommendations for Change
The report calls for mandatory age verification, stronger enforcement of the Online Safety Act, improved platform monitoring, greater accountability for those profiting from exploitation, and enhanced support for victims. Commissioner Lyons has demanded a full Government review examining whether these sites should continue operating in their current form.
Government Response to the Crisis
A Government spokesman acknowledged: "Sexual exploitation is a scourge, whether it takes place online or offline." They highlighted that the Online Safety Act criminalises sharing intimate images without consent and requires platforms to proactively detect and remove abuse. Recent measures include requiring tech companies to remove non-consensual intimate images within 48 hours when flagged and banning tools that enable creation of such images.
The commissioner's report represents a watershed moment in understanding how digital platforms have transformed sexual exploitation, creating what survivors describe as "a supermarket of the vulnerable" where buyers can specify preferences as casually as ordering food. With nearly 60% of advertisements showing clear exploitation indicators and millions of monthly visits, the scale of the crisis demands immediate legislative and enforcement action.
