TRAFFICKED women sold into the sex industry in Glasgow told of their ordeal as a warning to others.

The two women, Vanessa and Ying, believed they were heading to a better life, but ended up being abused,degraded and raped.

Vanessa, 26, said: "People do not believe this happens. It does. I am a survivor of trafficking. I was deceived when I came to the UK and thought the trafficker was helping me

"I believed I was going to be safe and have a good life here, but when I came this was not the case. I was treated very, very badly.

"I was locked in a room and made to have sex with many men. They would come every day and make me do things I did not want to do.

"They never cared if I cried. They just carried on. Sometimes they were very rough to me."

For three months, Vanessa was forced to have sex with countless men against her will, before she managed to run away.

She added: "I still feel the pain now, it is in my heart and in my head.

"If I could say something to stop trafficking for prostitution, it would be simple: Do not allow people to buy sex. If there was no prostitution, no women would be trafficked for this purpose. It is all about money."

Vanessa revealed the sordid and qualid life she was forced to live as part of Community Safety Glasgow's new campaign, which aims to help protect other women from being trafficked.

Top prosecutors from across the UK have pledged to work together to tackle human trafficking.

Ying, 32, who is originally from China, told how she was raped by her stepfather when she was 13 and forced to get married two years later, leading to her fleeing her home country. She ended up in a Glasgow brothel, but only after a horrifying journey to Paris and London.

She said: "In 2007, I was offered the chance to go to France for a better life.

"I was scared to leave home but excited about a new life in France, but I was made to become a prostitute, seeing five, six men each day."

After being forced into the sex industry in Paris, Ying was moved to London, where she was forced to work in another brothel to pay off her "debts".

Speaking about her ordeal in London, Ying said: "The only time I was allowed out was to buy clothes or get my hair done, and I was always accompanied by another girl.

"I stayed their for a few more months, but never seemed to pay of the debt. One day the madam said she was sending me to Glasgow to help one of her friends take care of her children.

"I was happy because I thought I would not have to have sex with men anymore."

But when Ying arrived in Glasgow, she discovered she had been lied to again and was forced to work in a city brothel.

Ying said: "Her friend was waiting for me at the bus station in Glasgow.But she was a madam too, and again, I was forced to have sex with men."

After saving up her tips, Ying managed to escape.

She went to Community Safety Glasgow's TARA (Trafficking Awareness Raising Alliance) service for specialist advice, and staff helped her try to overcome her ordeal.

Across the UK, more than 2700 people, including 600 children, were potential victims of trafficking last year.

Around a third of the victims in Scotland suffered sexual exploitation, while others experienced labour exploitation and criminal exploitation.

The majority of victims came from countries including Poland, Slovakia, Thailand, Vietnam, Ghana and Nigeria.

However, Romania was the most common country of origin, with nine cases in Scotland.

Vanessa, who now works for the health service , said: "I want to say thank you to TARA for helping me through the dark days when I was in crisis and giving me the strength to carry on when I believed my life was not worth living."

The women spoke out as Scotland's senior prosecutor, Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland, chaired a summit on human trafficking.

He said: "Human trafficking is the slavery of our times. It is a serious violation of human rights and causes lasting harm to its victims.

"It is a serious and complex crime which happens in the shadows of our society and it is very difficult for investigators and prosecutors to penetrate that veil."

In March, Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny Mac Askill announced he would be bringing forward legislation to tackle the problem in Scotland.

Vanessa added: "There are still many women and girls going through what happened to me and I feel very sad for them.

"Please let my story be used to help stop trafficking and prostitution."

rebecca.gray@ eveningtimes.co.uk