Dutch authorities bust sex trafficking gang

Dutch authorities said on Saturday they had busted an international gang which lured women mainly from Hungary to Amsterdam and forced them to work as prostitutes in the city's infamous red light district.

Nine people have been arrested, including three female Hungarian pimps and Dutch brothel owners, a spokesman for Amsterdam's prosecution service said on Saturday.

Gang members enticed victims to Amsterdam with promises of a better future, where they used violence and rape to intimidate while forcing the women to work as prostitutes in the red-lit windows that attract many tourists to the city each year.

"They came to a city where they knew nobody and then the violence started," said the spokesman.

So far 13 victims have been identified, including Hungarian and Dutch women, but the spokesman said there were probably several more, though fear and psychological dependence on their pimps often prevents women coming forward.

Investigations leading up to the arrests were part of efforts to crack down on illegal activities in Amsterdam's 800-year-old red light district, the spokesman said, which have also included closing down brothels in the city centre.

Voluntary prostitution was legalised in the Netherlands in 2000, but authorities have toughened their stance on the business in recent years to fight the influence of organised crime and clean up inner city areas.