WRITTEN QUESTION E-1426/01

by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission

(17 May 2001)

Subject: Trafficking in children

Unicef recently announced a that a ship (rightly called a ship of horrors) with 250 children on board, hungry and crammed in like cattle, was looking for somewhere to dock in the Gulf of Guinea. It is now known that the ship docked in the port of Cotonou in Benin, without any trace of the children being found on board. The media have raised a number of questions as to what has become of them. Until the current investigations throw light on the incident there remains a strong feeling of indignation regarding a dreadful phenomenon which, according to Unicef, makes slaves of about 250 million children in the world.

In view of the lack of practical measures to combat this kind of phenomenon, is the Commission aware of its existence and seriousness?

Will it endeavour to ensure that political pressure is brought to bear on countries which are known to allow child slavery?

Does it envisage, in collaboration with other international organisations working on behalf of children, to carry out projects to combat this appalling trade as a whole, tackling it both at source and at the final destinations (which unfortunately include Europe)?

Does it not consider that effective cooperation should be established in this field with the ACP States, in the spirit of the partnership agreement with the EU actually signed in Cotonou, to include initiatives involving local police forces, in order to tackle the problem more decisively?

Does it not consider that there is an urgent need to call on the governments of the Member States to assign specific competences to Europol to combat trafficking in children?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(20 July 2001)

The Commission has explained its actions and comments on the problem of child trafficking in its answer to Oral Question H-0432/01 by Mrs Kratsa during question time at Parliament's May 2001 part-session(1).

Europol already has the competence to combat child trafficking according to the Europol Convention of 26 July 1995(2), article 2 §2 of which stipulates that in order to achieve progressively the objective mentioned in paragraph 1, Europol shall initially act to prevent and combat () illegal immigrant smuggling and trade in human beings.

Trafficking in human beings is one of the priorities of Europol. The Community Police Chiefs Operational Task Force discussed the subject at its meeting on 8-9 March 2001. They invited Europol to organise expert meetings, elaborate threat assessments and open Analysis Work Files.

The Commission submitted proposals for a Council framework decision on combating trafficking in human beings and on combating the sexual exploitation of children and child pornography(3) to the Council on 30 November 2000. The aim of these proposals is to remedy the absence of commonly adopted definitions, incriminations and sanctions in the Member States'penal legislation on these issues in order to develop an efficient judicial and law enforcement co-operation. These proposals are currently under examination by the Council and the Parliament.

(1) Oral answer, 15.5.2001.

(2) OJ C 316, 27.11.1995.

(3) OJ C 62 E, 27.2.2001.