Belgium says it dismantles Chinese prostitution ring

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgian authorities have arrested seven Chinese nationals involved in a prostitution ring exploiting Chinese women, the federal prosecutor's office said on Wednesday.

Prosecutors said the group was sexually exploiting some 30 Chinese women from Brussels. While the group's activities largely focused on the Brussels area, victims were working in 16 prostitution sites across the country. The victims, all women of Chinese nationality, regularly changed their place of work.

"The Brussels Federal Judicial Police put an end to the criminal activities of an alleged group of Chinese perpetrators engaged in the sexual exploitation of women, also from China. The victims were working in private prostitution, in various parts of the country," the prosecutor's office said.

It added that 16 searches had been carried out on March 20, and that seven suspects had been placed under arrest.

The investigation revealed that some of the women intercepted in Belgium were also known to work in prostitution in the Netherlands.

Prosecutors said all the victims had also been interviewed and had been given access to a protection procedure, in collaboration with a specialised centre for victims of human trafficking.

(Reporting by GV De Clercq; Editing by Gareth Jones)

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