Declaration on combating trafficking in children

The European Parliament made a declaration on combating trafficking in children in which it calls on the Member States to recognise the fight against child trafficking as a priority objective in their national child protection policies.

It recalls that child trafficking is still a persistent problem, with more than two million children annually trafficked for forced labour and sexual exploitation. It states that the development of new communication technologies increases trafficking in children, making it more difficult to manage this phenomenon.

Given that national authorities and NGOs in the Member States are still not acting effectively against child trafficking, due to insufficient cross-border cooperation, lack of specialised training or inadequate implementation of existing legal standards, the Parliament calls on the Member States to continue actively cooperating and exchanging knowledge and experience with the relevant EU authorities and NGOs, in order to prevent and combat child trafficking, and provide adequate treatment for victims of such trafficking.

Lastly, Parliament calls on the Community institutions to provide the necessary resources in the framework of the Commission's strategy on promoting and safeguarding children's rights.