Ulster Unionist Party Deputy Leader Diana Armstrong MLA has responded with alarm to a BBC News report revealing that more than 500 women are advertised for sex daily in Northern Ireland.

Diana Armstrong MLA said:

"These figures are deeply unsettling. Hundreds of women being advertised for sexual exploitation every single day, right here in Northern Ireland, is not a statistic we can look past. Behind every number is a real person, often vulnerable, often without a voice.

"As a woman in public leadership, I am not prepared to accept that this is simply the way things are. We have legislation on the books that was meant to tackle this. The question being raised is whether it is being enforced with the full force it demands, and that question deserves a direct answer.

"I will be writing to the Justice Minister and the Chief Constable to ask what more is being done, what resource is being deployed, and what additional protections can be put in place for vulnerable women and girls in Northern Ireland.