Human smuggling has become a cause for concern for European authorities, according to EU border agency Frontex. Particularly worrisome: The number of minors among the victims is on the rise.
In an analysis on human trafficking, EU border agency Frontex has reported that human trafficking has been on the rise over the past few years.
Frontex said that trafficking is one of the most lucrative criminal activities, generating billions of euros for smugglers each year.
"Particularly worrying'' for authorities in European Union has been the registered rise in the trafficking of minors, according to the agency.
'Human trafficking from Nigeria has fueled the European sex market
for year'
Frontex reported that most human trafficking victims in the EU come from sub-Saharan Africa, in particular from western African countries.
Trafficking from Nigeria in particular
has become a cause of concern for EU authorities
over the past few years, the agency said. "Although human trafficking from Nigeria has fueled the European sex market
for years, the rising number of Nigerian women arriving in Italy (and Spain, in smaller numbers) has brought to light the phenomenon," stressed Frontex. Nigerian victims are mostly women and increasingly young, with many under the age of 18, the agency said. Victims usually travel from Nigeria to Europe through
the city of Agadez in Niger, then Libya or Morocco.
Children particularly vulnerable targets for traffickers
Frontex said that, at a global level, children represent the second-largest group of human trafficking victims. The EU, in particular, has reported an increase in the number of registered cases of trafficking of minors over the past few years.
After they arrive in Europe, children become a target for traffickers. Their young age, inexperience and desire to find work make them vulnerable to exploitation.
Frontex reported that "often a border agent is the only security official that a victim can approach" and for this reason the European agency is "training border guards to detect potential trafficking victims to address them." During their operation, the agency's officials are also supposed to gather information on criminal groups, including traffickers, and then pass them on to national police and Europol to investigate.
The agency has also published a manual, the Vega Children Handbook, for border guards and airport authorities to help detect children who could be trafficking victims.