The men deny the 51 counts, including rape, trafficking and organising prostitution between 2004 and last year.
The accused include two sets of brothers, Akhtar Dogar, 32, and Anjum Dogar, 30, and Bassam Karrar, 32, and Mohammed Karrar, 38. The others are Kamar Jamil, 27, Zeeshan Ahmed, 27, Assad Hussain, 32, Bilal Ahmed, 26, and Mohammed Hussain, 24.
The trial is expected to last until April. The defendants are all in custody.
Mr Lucas added: "The defendants, and others not before the court, used and abused the six complainants persistently over long periods of time, sometimes in groups, for their own sexual gratification and the sexual gratification of others. The depravity of what was done to the complainants was extreme."
He told the jurors that the details of the case would make them uncomfortable.