Europol: 10,000 Migrant Children in Europe Likely Missing

Europol, the European police agency, reported on Sunday, January 31, that 10,000 unaccompanied migrant children have gone missing, raising concerns that they may be exploited for sexual slavery or forced labor. According to Agence France-Presse, Europol's press office confirmed this statistic, which had previously been published in the British newspaper 'The Observer', noting that the figures date back 18 months to two years. Brian Donald, Europol's administrative chief, stated that these children disappeared from the system after being registered by authorities upon entering EU territory. He mentioned that 5,000 children have gone missing in Italy alone, adding, 'It is unreasonable to say we are looking for 10,000 children.' Mr. Donald also noted that 'not all of these children have been involved in criminal activities; some may have returned to their families. We just don’t know where they are, what they are doing, or who they are with.' This Europol official indicated that evidence of the establishment of 'criminal infrastructures' aimed at exploiting the migrant wave has been observed in the past 18 months. The Observer reported that Europol has found evidence linking smuggling rings that bring migrants to Europe with criminal human trafficking networks that exploit migrants for sexual and labor slavery. Donald added, 'There are prisons in Germany and Hungary housing many criminals imprisoned for their connections to criminal activities surrounding the migrant crisis.' In relation to this report, Leonard Doyle, a spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration, expressed shock at hearing these statistics. In an interview with CNN, he stated, 'We find it shocking that we are now learning that a large number of unaccompanied children are at risk of trafficking or other dangerous situations.' Doyle added, 'This is another tragic whirlwind concerning the migrant issue in Europe, and it is essential to support vulnerable young individuals who are in Europe without guardians and thus at risk.' Reports indicate that over the past year, more than one million people have entered Europe as migrants or refugees, most of whom have fled the civil war in Syria. Donald told The Observer, 'Regardless of whether the children are registered or not, we are talking about a population of over 270,000 children.' He stated that the figure of 10,000 is likely conservative, adding that 'not all of them are unaccompanied, but we also have evidence suggesting that a large portion of them are likely unaccompanied.'