--- title: "Hidden in plain sight: What a recent inquiry reveals about sexual exploitation in Northern Ireland" date: 2026-11-04T10:31:00+00:00 author: Lisa Barr canonical_url: "https://www.eauk.org/news-and-views/hidden-in-plain-sight-what-a-recent-inquiry-reveals-about-sexual-exploitation-in-northern-ireland" section: Articles --- Share [ ](https://www.facebook.com/dialog/share?app_id=1769260916495219&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eauk.org%2Fnews-and-views%2Fhidden-in-plain-sight-what-a-recent-inquiry-reveals-about-sexual-exploitation-in-northern-ireland) [ ](https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=Hidden%20in%20plain%20sight%3A%20What%20a%20recent%20inquiry%20reveals%20about%20sexual%20exploitation%20in%20Northern%20Ireland&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eauk.org%2Fnews-and-views%2Fhidden-in-plain-sight-what-a-recent-inquiry-reveals-about-sexual-exploitation-in-northern-ireland) [ ](https://www.facebook.com/dialog/send?app_id=1769260916495219&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eauk.org%2Fnews-and-views%2Fhidden-in-plain-sight-what-a-recent-inquiry-reveals-about-sexual-exploitation-in-northern-ireland&link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eauk.org%2Fnews-and-views%2Fhidden-in-plain-sight-what-a-recent-inquiry-reveals-about-sexual-exploitation-in-northern-ireland&display=popup) [ ](mailto:?subject=Shared%20from%20Evangelical%20Alliance&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eauk.org%2Fnews-and-views%2Fhidden-in-plain-sight-what-a-recent-inquiry-reveals-about-sexual-exploitation-in-northern-ireland) Copy link to this article Share this article Hidden in plain sight: What a recent inquiry reveals about sexual exploitation in Northern Ireland 6 min read Contents Share [ ](https://www.facebook.com/dialog/share?app_id=1769260916495219&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eauk.org%2Fnews-and-views%2Fhidden-in-plain-sight-what-a-recent-inquiry-reveals-about-sexual-exploitation-in-northern-ireland) [ ](https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=Hidden%20in%20plain%20sight%3A%20What%20a%20recent%20inquiry%20reveals%20about%20sexual%20exploitation%20in%20Northern%20Ireland&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eauk.org%2Fnews-and-views%2Fhidden-in-plain-sight-what-a-recent-inquiry-reveals-about-sexual-exploitation-in-northern-ireland) [ ](mailto:?subject=Shared%20from%20Evangelical%20Alliance&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eauk.org%2Fnews-and-views%2Fhidden-in-plain-sight-what-a-recent-inquiry-reveals-about-sexual-exploitation-in-northern-ireland) Copy link to this article Share this article Back to top In this article #### A new report to the Northern Ireland Assembly explores how websites advertising prostitution can facilitate sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Its findings raise urgent questions about how women can be better protected and what action can be taken to address the harm. A new report to the Northern Ireland Assembly explores how websites advertising prostitution can facilitate sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Its findings raise urgent questions about how women can be better protected and what action can be taken to address the harm. Sexual exploitation can be difficult to recognise when it takes place behind a screen. An online profile may show a woman independently offering sexual services, while concealing the reality of coercion, control or trafficking. Published in October 2026, [*Hidden in Plain Sight: How websites advertising prostitution facilitate sexual exploitation in Northern Ireland*](https://cseapgni.org/inquiries/) presents the findings of an inquiry led by the Northern Ireland Assembly’s All-Party Group on Modern Slavery and Commercial Sexual Exploitation. Our friends and member organisation, CARE, assisted the APG in drafting this report. Sponsored[](#) [ ![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271%27%20height%3D%271%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ](https://lst.ac.uk/research-seminars-conferences/#research-seminars) The group considered research, evidence from organisations and the experiences of women who have survived exploitation to examine how websites advertising prostitution operate, the harm they can facilitate and what must be done to prevent further exploitation. **What did the inquiry find?** Websites advertising prostitution are not neutral spaces. The inquiry concludes that these websites have fundamentally changed how prostitution is organised. They allow advertisements to reach large numbers of buyers quickly and discreetly, while enabling bookings, communications and movement between locations to be managed online. Unfortunately, this means that an online profile that appears to show an independent woman can conceal someone else controlling her communications, appointments or earnings. The report acknowledges that some argue these platforms offer safety and that website operators may share information with police. However, the inquiry concludes that the websites nevertheless facilitate exploitation and trafficking. Their systems can help perpetrators organise and conceal abuse, meaning they cannot be considered neutral spaces. > The inquiry concludes that these websites have fundamentally changed how prostitution is organised.” The research also identified indicators of potential exploitation. To examine the potential scale of exploitation in Northern Ireland, researchers analysed advertisements on four websites over five weeks in April and May 2026, using the Sexual Trafficking Identification Matrix (STIM), a tool designed to identify indicators of possible sexual exploitation and human trafficking. The research identified recurring warning signs associated with organisation, control and vulnerability. These included the same contact details appearing across multiple advertisements, similar wording in different profiles, and signs of women being moved between cities every 24 hours. The report also raises concerns about advertisements offering potentially dangerous sexual encounters. These indicators do not prove that every person advertised is being exploited. However, the inquiry concludes that the patterns identified provide evidence of an online environment in which exploitation can be enabled and concealed. It is particularly concerned that similar warning signs identified in earlier research remained present in 2026. Survivors described having little or no control over their online profiles, communications, appointments or earnings. One woman described being advertised without her consent and drugged before appointments, leaving her unable to speak or move normally while aware of what was happening. Their accounts bring the findings into focus: what appears to be an ordinary online advertisement can conceal coercion, control and serious abuse. The women who shared their experiences showed considerable courage, helping bring into public view what advertisements and statistics alone cannot fully convey. > At the heart of this issue is human dignity.” At the heart of this issue is human dignity. The Bible teaches that every person is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). People are not commodities to be bought and sold, nor should anyone be subjected to coercion, abuse or exploitation for another person’s gain. At the launch of the report, the websites were described as ​“the Amazon of prostitution” – a comparison that captures the concern that women can be presented as products for buyers to browse and purchase. The language may be stark, but it raises an important question: what happens to our understanding of human worth when people are treated as goods in a marketplace? Christians should be concerned not only about the harm experienced by women, but also about the demand that sustains commercial sexual exploitation and the structures that enable others to profit from it. This calls for honest conversations about consent, healthy relationships and the responsibility we have towards people who are vulnerable. Every person’s dignity remains, whatever their circumstances. Those affected deserve compassion and practical support, not judgement. Where online platforms can provide an environment in which exploitation is concealed and facilitated, action is needed to address the risks and hold perpetrators accountable. **What happens now?** Northern Ireland has already taken legislative steps to address sexual exploitation. The Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Criminal Justice and Support for Victims) Act 2015 criminalised the purchase of sexual services, reflecting an approach that intends to reduce demand rather than punish those selling sex. However, the inquiry identifies a significant gap: there is no clear, specific offence targeting the publication of online prostitution advertisements or the operation of websites that profit from them. > Its central recommendation is clear: websites advertising prostitution should be banned across the UK and Ireland.” Its central recommendation is clear: websites advertising prostitution should be banned across the UK and Ireland. The report argues that regulation alone will not prevent these platforms from continuing to facilitate and conceal exploitation. It also recommends stronger cross-border cooperation, properly funded support for women seeking to leave prostitution, and targeted work with men and boys to promote respectful relationships. Legislative action is needed at Stormont, alongside changes at Westminster and alignment with authorities in the Republic of Ireland. The report must not simply sit on a shelf while the harm it describes continues. Its findings deserve a clear response from decision-makers. **How can Christians respond?** We can pray for women experiencing exploitation, for those supporting them, and for wisdom and courage among those responsible for responding to the inquiry. Churches can also help by becoming communities where people leaving prostitution or other exploitation can be heard without judgement, find compassion and be connected with specialist support. This requires robust safeguarding and an understanding of how to respond appropriately. There are practical steps we can take, too. Members can contact their MLAs and MPs to ask what action they will support in response to the inquiry, including the proposed ban and better support for survivors. Asking our representatives what happens next is one way to help ensure the report does not simply sit on a shelf. The women who have bravely shared their experiences deserve more than acknowledgement. The real test of this inquiry will be whether its findings lead to meaningful change for those at risk of exploitation. [ ![Confronting violence against women and girls (VAWG) in Northern Ireland](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271%27%20height%3D%271%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ![Untitled design 41](https://eauk.org/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,quality=90,width=400,fit=cover/https://cdn.eauk.org/Untitled-design-41_2026-01-16-100914_ohtn.png) ](https://www.eauk.org/news-and-views/confronting-violence-against-women-and-girls-vawg-in-northern-ireland) [#### Confronting violence against women and girls (VAWG) in Northern Ireland ](https://www.eauk.org/news-and-views/confronting-violence-against-women-and-girls-vawg-in-northern-ireland) Northern Ireland associate Nick Johnston explores three ways you can help challenge violence against women and girls [ ![Nick Johnston](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271%27%20height%3D%271%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ](/author/nick-johnston) [ Nick Johnston ](/author/nick-johnston) 12 January 2026 [](https://www.eauk.org/news-and-views/confronting-violence-against-women-and-girls-vawg-in-northern-ireland) [ ![Violence against women and girls](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271%27%20height%3D%271%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ![I Stock 1001313596](https://eauk.org/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,quality=90,width=400,fit=cover/https://cdn.eauk.org/iStock-1001313596.jpg) ](https://www.eauk.org/what-we-do/advocacy/violence-against-women-and-girls) [#### Violence against women and girls ](https://www.eauk.org/what-we-do/advocacy/violence-against-women-and-girls) Understanding and getting involved in the mission to halve violence against women and girls [ Find out more ](https://www.eauk.org/what-we-do/advocacy/violence-against-women-and-girls) [](https://www.eauk.org/what-we-do/advocacy/violence-against-women-and-girls) Your reading Count on · turn off 0 You’ve read 0 articles in the last year. Behind what you’re reading is a movement of churches, organisations and individuals standing together. Join us and add your voice to the church being heard where it matters most. [Become a member](/membership/become-a-member/individuals/join-us) Privacy settings *›* Your article count is off. Nothing is being recorded on this device. Turn it back on --- ### About Amy Graham ![]() As public policy officer, Amy advocates for Christian engagement in public life and represents our members to the NI Assembly and Executive. Her degree in Economics with Finance and three and a half years in economist and policy roles in the Northern Ireland Civil Service have shaped her interest in the role of faith in public life. In her free time, Amy enjoys live music, nature walks and travelling to sunnier places. 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