NCJ Number
193996
Date Published
May 2001
Length
242 pages
Annotation
This study attempted to highlight the extent of trafficking of unaccompanied minors for the purposes of sexual exploitation or bonded/forced labor and slave like practices in four European Member States: Belgium, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands.
Abstract
The trafficking of human beings has become a growing concern to the European Member States and the international community. The overall purpose of this study was to highlight the growing problem of trafficking in minors, identify the practices and mechanisms of transnational crime, and presents strategies to prevent this problem all within the framework of the European Commission’s STOP Program. The study addressed six key questions: (1) what is the size and scope of the problem; (2) what are the trends and main countries and regions of origin of this group; (3) what makes minors vulnerable to exploitation by criminal networks; (4) to what extent do the social networks of unaccompanied minors change as a result of criminal networks and to what extent do the changes create new trends; (5) what are the typical living and working conditions of the victims; and (6) what form of assistance exists and what help is both necessary and feasible? Four EU countries participated in the STOP Program: Belgium, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. Study findings indicated a lack of comprehensive data on trafficking, an obvious increase in the number of minors trafficked for sexual exploitation, exploitation of minors in the informal sector by traffickers, and the disappearance of a large number of unaccompanied minors. It was found that in order to prevent and combat trafficking of unaccompanied minors it was necessary to combat issues related to criminal networks, as well as improving socioeconomic opportunities and reception and protection measures in the countries of destination. Bibliography