Over the past six months, police in England, Scotland, and Wales have rescued 127 victims of human trafficking and arrested 528 suspected traffickers. This huge crackdown is a result of an operation called UK Pentameter 2 (UKP2), whose goal is to bring perpetrators of human trafficking to justice, rescue and protect victims, and to increase understanding and awareness of trafficking in the UK. Of the victims rescued, 13 were children, the youngest of whom was 14. The majority of the victims came to the UK from China, Eastern Europe, and South-East Asia. Around half of them posed difficulties to authorities by refusing to comply with authorities. This was especially common among the children, who had been told by traffickers it was unwise to cooperate. 80 of the 528 people arrested have been charged as a part of Pentameter 2.
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Compiled from: "Scores Rescued from Trafficking," BBC News, 2 July 2008; "Pentameter 2," UK Police, Operation Pentameter.