EU sees high risk of child trafficking as 3.3 million Ukrainians flee to Europe
Reuters The European Union’s migration commissioner warned on Monday that Ukrainian children were in danger of being trafficked as they flee their country from the Russian invasion. Ylva Johansson told a news conference in Estonia that about half of 3.3 million Ukrainians who had fled to EU countries since the start of the war were […]
Court jails 10 for child trafficking in Ivory Coast cocoa sector
Bouna, Ivory Coast Reuters A court in Ivory Coast on Wednesday sentenced 10 people found guilty of child trafficking to 10 years in jail, part of an effort to clamp down on organised networks that smuggle children to work in cocoa plantations. Ivory Coast, the world’s top cocoa producer, and the companies that buy its […]
Europe’s rights court orders UK to compensate human trafficking victims
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Britain should pay €90,000 in compensation to two Vietnamese men who were convicted of drug crimes despite signs they had been trafficked as children and forced to work on cannabis farms, Europe’s top rights court ruled on Tuesday. The European Court of Human Rights said Britain had failed to protect potential […]
Child trafficking victims testify by video to quicken trials in India
Chennai, IndiaThomson Reuters Foundation Two child trafficking victims gave evidence via video conferencing for the first time on Monday as part of an Indian judicial push to speed up slavery trials and clear a backlog of cases. Hundreds of child trafficking cases in India have stalled due to delays in hearing testimony from survivors, who […]
Artists shine a light on child labour in New York streets
Thomson Reuters Foundation Children’s faces appear locked in the jaws of a sinister factory robot or warily peeping out behind New York landmarks in an interactive street art campaign launched this week to raise awareness about child trafficking and underage labour. Nine striking pieces commissioned by Street Art for Mankind – an artistic movement fighting […]
Kenya makes hospital arrests as it probes child trafficking ring
Nairobi, KenyaThomson Reuters Foundation Kenya said on Wednesday it had arrested three hospital staff in a probe into the theft and sale of babies, accusing some public hospitals and care homes of colluding with organised crime. Authorities acted after a BBC investigation revealed how Kenyan child trafficking syndicates – from street clinics to a government-run […]
England’s COVID-19 lockdown feared fuelling child trafficking by drug gangs
LondonThomson Reuters Foundation England’s month-long coronavirus lockdown will hinder efforts to spot and support children trafficked by drug gangs, researchers said on Friday, warning that more girls and young people from wealthy families were being targeted on social media. People were ordered to stay at home from Thursday to combat a surge in infections that […]
Ivory Coast pledges trafficking crackdown as 137 child victims are rescued
Dakar, SenegalThomson Reuters Foundation Ivory Coast police on Monday vowed to ramp up efforts to stop child trafficking after rescuing 137 children from forced labour and sex work in the first major operation in several years. Police surrounded the south-eastern town of Aboisso for 48 hours last week and searched vehicles, cocoa plantations and nearby […]
Brazilian police want to test new tactic in war against child trafficking
Thomson Reuters Foundation As part of an effort to fight human trafficking, the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro plans to create an alert system that can be activated whenever a child goes missing, a state secretary said last week. Mobile phones in the area surrounding where the child disappeared will receive messages with the […]
Soaring number of suspected slaves in UK sparks alarm over support
Thomson Reuters Foundation At least 7,000 suspected victims of modern slavery were uncovered in Britain last year, up a third on 2017, according to data that campaigners said on Friday raised concerns about the government’s ability to support a growing number of survivors. A larger share of men – six in 10 of the possible […]