The European Commission declared the fight against the trafficking of women and children to Europe a priority at a special meeting on the trafficking of women held on 8 March, International Women's Day.

Antonio Vitorino, Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs, announced that 'the Commission intends to propose….that these women are offered a temporary permit of stay'; 15 member states would have to support the proposal for it to be put into effect.

'It is crucial that people who are trafficked are treated as the victims of a human rights violation and not as illegal immigrants and immediately deported', Mike Dottridge, Anti-Slavery Director said.

European Social Affairs Commissioner Anna Diamantopoulou in an open article on the issue said trafficking in human beings is 'a shame on our civilisation, because all of us are in some way responsible', not nearly enough was being done, she said, to combat 'this modern day slave trade'.

The EC estimates 120,000 women and children are brought illegally into western Europe each year, most of whom are women trafficked for the sex trade.