Some of the women are thought to be under 18 and are likely to have been trafficked. They are working in red light areas in east London, in Newham and Redbridge, as well as in other major cities such as Birmingham and Manchester. One young woman, who told the Observer she was 18, said she had been threatened by older Romanians in Newham when she was out working. I refused and moved somewhere else to work. Romanian street sex workers in Manchester have come to the attention of both the police and the Home Office.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed that last weekend for the first time they carried out a joint operation with the Home Office targeted at this group. A GMP spokesman said six street sex workers β five Romanian and one Czech β were interviewed about their immigration status and soliciting for sex. None were arrested or charged but two were interviewed under caution, were told they had no right to be in the UK and agreed to leave voluntarily.
Farooq Shah, 20, has been charged with her murder. The Metropolitan Police has been conducting Operation Clearlight in Redbridge to tackle prostitution in the area. Georgina Perry, manager of Open Doors, an NHS project working with sex workers in east London, said the presence of Romanian street sex workers is a relatively new phenomenon and they were providing support services for them.
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