International human trafficking of women for commercial sexual exploitation (henceforth
trafficking) has been identified as a form of modern-day slavery and it is a worldwide problem which
has grown rapidly in the last decades (Bettio and Nandi 2010; Hodge and Leitz 2007). Up to four
million people are estimated to be exploited by human traffickers each year (UNHCR 2006).
According to the European Commission (2009) trafficking in human beings is a serious crime and a
gross violation of human rights and to reduce trafficking in human beings is highly prioritized in
many countries.
Governments throughout the world view human trafficking as a component of organized crime and