Thousands of North Korean women and girls are being coerced, sold, and abducted into the sex slavery in China, according to the Korea Future Initiative (KFI).

A new report by the London-based rights group investigates the plight of North Korean's who are trafficked into China and includes first-hand accounts from victims.

The report said that the trade generated at least US$105 million (S$145 million) a year in profits for the Chinese underworld.

How it happens

The report also detailed that 84 percent of victims were coerced, sold, or abducted within China, while others were victims of Chinese brokers with networks within North Korea.

Victims are approached by traffickers who may offer "food, clothing, support, or the chance of onward journeys to South Korea".

"Unable to differentiate between friend and foe, many unwittingly accept the dishonest offers of human traffickers," says the report.

A victim detailed how she and her sister were tricked into becoming prostitutes:

"Our mother [who had already escaped to South Korea] arranged for my sister and I to escape (...) We were driven to Changchun [China], then a new broker drove us to Shenyang [China]. He stopped outside an apartment and told us we would resume our journey in the night. I may sound ignorant, but I had no idea that I was being sold (...) We were forced to become prostitutes in a building behind a factory."

What happens to them

According to the report, victims are "overwhelming female" and between the ages of 12 and 29.

Once forced into the sex-trade they are:

• "Prostituted for as little as RMB30" (US$4, S$5.51)
• "Sold as wives for just RMB1000" (US$146, S$201.20)
• "Trafficked into cybersex dens for exploitation by a global online audience"

As the Chinese government has in place an agreement to repatriate North Koreans, the women often feel trapped in the sex trade.

Repatriated North Koreans are known to face torture.

One woman told KFI:

"When the [Chinese] police asked for my documentation, I cried and told them I was North Korean. I begged them to allow me to travel to Thailand [where North Koreans can claim asylum]. They arrested me and took me to the [security bureau]. I was there for 10 hours and no one asked me any questions. They put me in their car and drove me to the countryside (...) I was sold to a marriage broker."

KFI's report was compiled over two years of research, which included interviews and discussions with over 45 survivors and rescuers.

The full report can be read here.

Top images via Leihan Flickr