More than 130 arrests during EU-wide action against child trafficking
Law enforcement authorities identify up to 60 new suspects as well as around 130 potential victims
In a joint action supported by Europol, officers of the participating European law enforcement entities and labour inspectorate authorities arrested over 130 criminals and successfully identified around 60 new suspects. The joint action days against trafficking in human beings took place from 6 to 13 of June 2022, and were coordinated by Frontex with the participation of 22 countries alongside INTERPOL.
More than 22 480 law enforcement officers took part in the action days, during which checks were carried out at European sea, land, and air borders, with an additional focus on heavily utilised routes into Europe.
During the action days, law enforcement also checked the identity of over 11 130 minors, who remain the most vulnerable group within persons being trafficked and exploited. Many fall victim to sexual exploitation, forced begging or different types of forced criminality, including petty crimes and drug trafficking. They also become victims of labour exploitation and domestic slavery.
Europol’s role
Europol supported the coordination of the operational activities, facilitated the exchange of information, and provided analytical support. On the action days, Europol activated a Virtual Command Post to facilitate the information exchange in real time, while dedicated analysts cross-checked operational information against Europol’s databases. This provided further investigative leads to the participating national law enforcement authorities.
Participating countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/more-130-arrests-during-eu-wide-action-against-child-trafficking