3 Vietnamese rescued as UK cracks down on modern slavery: report
Police in the UK have rescued three Vietnamese during a week-long operation against labor exploitation across Europe.
The victims, a male, a female and one young man believed to be under 18, are receiving help and support from the UK Human Trafficking Center, Plymouth-based The Herald reported.
The report said five other Vietnamese were arrested for slavery, money laundering and immigration offenses.
A total of 24 people were arrested during the operation with visits to car washes, nail bars, takeaway outlets, a massage parlor and a residential property.
Police data showed that Vietnamese people are a major group of victims of modern slavery in the UK, which is associated with many criminal activities such as human trafficking and drug trafficking.
Up to 75% of cannabis farms in the country were allegedly run by Vietnamese gangs, who recently have begun to employ trafficked children.
The Herald cited recent studies as showing that children make up nearly a quarter of the estimated 13,000 people trafficked into the UK every year, and Vietnamese children are the largest group of children trafficked there.
Some Vietnamese children were also trafficked into brothels, nail bars and for street crimes purposes such as selling pirated DVDs, or breaking and entering offenses, according to the report.