Most were lured west by advertizing for lucrative jobs such as au pairs, dancers or waitresses - only to discover the true nature of the work only once they had arrived.
Criminal gangs were only too eager to help the women into the restrictive E.U. with passports, visas, transport - and promises.
In Austria, the women and girls frequently live in slave-like conditions. They have no freedom of movement, are paid badly or not at all, and subjected to violence. In many cases their passports have been taken away to stop them escaping.
Despite their plight, many of the women and girls avoid going to the authorities for help. Criminal investigators say their interest is not in the exploited women, but their exploiters.
However, the victims refuse to cooperate - distrustful of the police and afraid of the criminals tormenting them.
They remain trapped between the their desperate situation and fear of deportation and social ostracism once back in their home countries