Every year 250,000 people are trafficked in Europe according to UN reports. MEP Edit Bauer is sounding the alarm and calling for a legal framework that punishes the purchaser not the purchased. We talk with her and fellow MEP Antonyia Parvanova from Bulga

Focus: Lives for sale in Europe

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/15167821/m001-0016-en.srt

Trafficking in human beings   is increasing in Europe.

Women forced to prostitution,   children thrown out on the street to beg,

All this happens today in our continent,

in the EU, the union   of values and liberties.

which countries lie at the bottom   of the criminal nets?

What can Europe do to help victims   accuse their executioner?

We gathered some stories   from the women sold in Europe

I was working on the streets,   as a prostitute.

And in the end as I had fled   they came and threatened my mother.

This Nigerian woman found the courage   to report those that exploited her

who will be brought before the   French courts to face heavy sentences.

We have to cooperate with   these young women, these victims.

We need them to tell us the reasons   why they have been sold.

As that is exactly what has happened.   They have literally been sold

What's important to them is that   the network is shut down in its entirety,

that the ringleaders   are taken to court

and given harsh sentences.   That's the girls' main priority.

We've spoken about   papers and that's fine.

A woman with a residence card who   knows her pimp will be out in 2 years,

looking for revenge   is a real cause for concern.

She decides it's better   not to come forward as a witness

but to stay away,   to avoid any repercussions.

Human trafficking is on the rise   on our continent according to Europol.

The European Police Agency   says this slave trade affects,

and it's a recent development,   men as well as women and children.

Better protection for victims   and harsher punishments for traffickers,

so they don't retaliate,   on their release from prison.

In Cyprus, Father Savvas   has saved almost 300 girls in five years

from Eastern Europe, who had been   forced into prostitution.

Having arrived a few months ago   to work as dancers or waitresses

on 'artist' visas, permits required   for work in the entertainment industry,

they had to quickly give in   to the demands of their bosses.

We have to stop girls from coming here,   from being tricked and forced into this.

On 1 November last year, following   pressure, notably from the EU,

these 'artist' visas were abolished   by the Cypriot government.

But sexual trafficking   is far from over on the island.

With a lot of hypocrisy, they registered   the women here as dancers or barmaids,

but they knew beforehand that their real   job was about sexual exploitation,

forced prostitution,   under the conditions of slavery.

The Council of Europe believes   that there are 500,000 victims

Criminal networks infiltrate Europe   from the East, via Bulgaria and Romania.

In southern Europe, the points   of access are Italy and Spain.

Europeans have to work together   to bring down these networks.

Also, the protection of victims has   to include financial support,

to avoid them falling back   into the hands of other criminals.

Meanwhile, in Cyprus, Father Savvas   continues to help these women,

ignoring the threats that hang over him.

Pimps on the island have offered   a 15,000 euros reward for his head.

I have with me today Edit Bauer,   from the European People's Party;

Antonyia Parvanova,   from the Liberals and Democrats group;

and Jean-Marc Souvira,   Head of the Human Trafficking Unit

You just introduced   an oral question on this issue -

First of all, who are the victims   of human trafficking today?

Men, women, children -   who brings more money to this traffic?

but the estimate is that we probably have   more women and girls among victims.

I would like to say that we should...   Bearing in mind that we have

a tremendous number of victims   inside Europe,

it's not something that is going on   a long way from Europe.

Mrs Parvanova, still talking about   the victims who are in our continent,

do you think there are   privileged destination countries

where this human trafficking   has more success than others?

that different groups of people   are trafficked for different purposes.

There are also countries of origin,   countries of transit

My country, Bulgaria, appears to be   all three of them sometimes.

who are mainly trafficked   for slavery, for exploitation,

but also, especially boys,   for sexual abuse.

As Mrs Bauer said, the largest group are   women and young girls for sexual abuse,

and according to   our Ministry of the Interior

15% of victims are children   who are trafficked at a very early age.

Some of them are sold to new parents   when the mother is still pregnant

and some of them are trafficked   to be pickpockets, or for begging.

No country is safe   from this very serious organised crime

and that's why we need to go into   our in-depth analysis together.

Mr Souvira, do some countries   have weaker legislation than others?

You work particularly in the fight   against prostitution and trafficking.

Do these girls move between countries   once they have arrived in Europe?

First of all, the landscape of prostitution   has changed.

There was a change in the late 1980s   after the Communist bloc collapsed.

We saw Slavs arriving   in the countries of Western Europe.

The second opening was with Schengen,   the free circulation of people and goods.

That was good for tourists   and also for the criminal networks.