EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 78/881

(2004/C 78 E/0933)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3932/03

by Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(19 December 2003)

Subject: Sexual exploitation of children

The recent report by the German section of Unicef on child exploitation states that the phenomenon is growing with particular speed in western, northern and southern Slovakia and Moldova. There are numerous other studies informing us that young girls and boys are offered voluntarily or pimped by their own parents. The child trafficking routes mentioned are from Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Finland and the Baltic states to the EU, in particular to Germany and the Netherlands, and also from Romania to Italy, Turkey and Cyprus. According to statistics published by the United Nations in Berlin on 30 October 2003, children are increasingly forming part of the illegal sex industry, charging prices ranging from EUR 5 to EUR 25.

What is the Commission's position on these facts? In view of the increasing risks that enlargement will bring with it, does it intend to take specific measures and initiatives in 2004 to reduce this phenomenon? Does it have a report on the Union's policies that have been implemented to date to deal with this scourge? What does it believe are the reasons for the lack of success in combating these phenomena?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(11 February 2004)

Trafficking in human beings — and trafficking in children in particular — is an abhorrent and worrying phenomenon. It involves practices such as coercive sexual exploitation, labour exploitation in conditions akin to slavery exploitation in begging and juvenile delinquency as well as domestic servitude.

The Commission has been actively engaged since 1996 in developing a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary approach towards the prevention of, and the fight against, trafficking in human beings involving all relevant actors — non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and social authorities, judicial, law enforcement and migration authorities. Child exploitation, child trafficking or child pornography are matters of particular concern in this context. Programmes such as Daphne, STOP and AGIS have been continuously used to financially support exchange and research projects in the areas concerned.

In December 2001, the Commission issued a Communication: ‘Combating trafficking in human beings and combating the sexual exploitation of children and child pornography’ (1). Meanwhile, on the basis of proposals of the Commission, the Council adopted two Framework Decisions on combating trafficking in human beings (2) and on combating the sexual exploitation of children and child pornography (3). In 2002, the Commission supported the elaboration of the Brussels Declaration on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings. The document contains, ‘inter alia’, specific recommendations concerning child trafficking. Further to the Brussels Declaration, the Commission set up the Experts Group on Trafficking in Human Beings that is currently preparing a report aiming at the implementation of the Brussels Declaration. The Commission intends to issue a Communication and an action plan taking the findings of the group into due consideration. In this context the problem of child trafficking shall also be addressed.

Furthermore, the Commission will ensure proper follow-up to the Council Resolution of 2001 on the contribution of civil society in finding missing or sexually exploited children. As required by the resolution, a study has been drawn up on the actual extent of the phenomenon of missing and sexually exploited children as well as on the role of civil society organisations and relevant legal issues. The study was financed from the STOP and Daphne Programmes and has been carried out and almost finished by the Belgian organisation Child Focus together with the Ghent University and partner organisations in Member States and Accession Countries. Once the results have been presented and published, the Commission will report on them to the Council.

Finally, the Daphne II programme should be adopted during the first half of 2004. It will cover the period 2004-2008 with a budget of EUR 50 million. All new Member States will be able to participate fully in this programme. Therefore, the Commission is convinced that local organisations from that particular region will be active in the fight against this phenomenon.

(1) COM(2000) 854 final.

(2) OJ L 203, 1.8.2002.

(3) OJ L 13, 20.1.2004.