Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Fides Service) - No one sees, one knows and yet human trafficking is an international business with mind-boggling profits. The 21st century has its merchants just like those two or three hundred years ago, without scruples and ready for anything, even to trade and buy children kidnapped or sold by their families, kept as slaves, sold to the market of prostitution, pornography, or hidden in the shadows of human organ trafficking.
This is confirmed by a “Save the Children” ‘Information Report on Trafficking of Minors’ containing data concerning six European countries - Bulgaria, Romania, Italy, Spain, Denmark and United Kingdom - divided in zones of origin, transit and final destination.
In Europe minors are about 6% of an estimated 130,000 persons victims of human trafficking as the Report says: “In the last 10 years the number of girls and boys involved in trade particularly coming from eastern Europe has increased continually. These children are particularly vulnerable and they are easily subjected to coercion and have less chance of escaping exploitation”.
A scourge which spares not even new-born babies sold for clandestine adoption. Their lives are worth between 7 to 15 thousand Euro. In this disturbing picture there is also Italy, considered a “transit country” from poorer zones to targeted destinations. Some little slaves of 2000 have been saved from the “network” of this trafficking and so far in Italy 134 minors have benefited from a social protection programme.
But for this minority of lucky ones, thousands of others are still being bought and sold as objects with no hope of escaping the cruel circle which ends by crushing their childhood and often even snuffing out their life.
Last January, following a dossier published by the Fides News Service on abandoned children, the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Rome opened an enquiry on this drama of international dimensions to shed light on the trafficking of minors in Italy. We asked magistrate Adelchi D’Ippolito who is leading the enquiry, to tell us what has been achieved, three months since the opening of the investigation, to identify circuits and origins of episodes of abuse, slavery and organ ex-plantation.
“I an unable to make any precise reference to the results of the investigation - the Magistrate said -, although I am pleased to say that the Public Prosecutors Office in Rome is showing great interest with regard to problems relative to minors and any sort of abuse of minors. This investigation was started as a result of a dossier published by your News Service on 6 January, which I praise for the attention and sensitivity it shows, proving to be a reliable source of many situations of child abuse and also ongoing monitoring all over the world and particularly in developing countries. The dossier helped us start an enquiry which is not easy. It is difficult to penetrate a world in which there is an absolute tendency cover up, to camouflage what is happening. Episodes connected with trade in children are reported all over the world, this makes it difficult to find one common thread.
Certainly we have taken a precise commitment also because we have information according to which even Europe and Italy itself may be part of this tragic circuit. We are investigating on many fronts but one of the major difficulties encountered in this sort of investigation is how to identify individual concrete cases and situations in order to make further investigations.”
The latest “Informative report on child trade” by “Save the Children” speaks of countries like Italy and Spain as transit zones rather than places where children victims of the trafficking are abused. …
“We are open to any contributions coming from those active in the sector which consist mainly in contributions of study, evaluation and in depth examination. However we are not engaged in sociological research. Our task is to prepare trials and therefore to identify concrete cases and find relative evidence. Of course we do not overlook indications coming from different associations with a constant and specific commitment to protecting minors, but our needs are diverse because research on the phenomenon is one thing and finding the criminals responsible is another”.
However in the meantime the Public Prosecutor’s investigation is an act of commitment to reach to roots of this terrible phenomenon. Is there any hope of saving hundreds of children in Europe alone from this trade?
“This is a special inquiry because it concerns the protection of minors, a weak category in which marginalisation and the plague of abuse easily find victims. Many children involved in trafficking come from countries which are so poor as to render even weaker a category feeble in itself. The situation of dire misery in many developing countries seem to be pockets of extreme need in which criminal networks find it easy to collect children, some even sold by their families, who are then abused or killed.”
There is growing awareness in public opinion with regard to the problem, thanks also to appeals launched by the Pope, his calls on behalf of defenceless children, a problem which up to now was hidden in the folds of episodes of crime news. Perhaps people are beginning to realise that certain terrible realities touch all consciences and that something can and must be done to stop human trafficking?
“There is a new awareness, people are on guard, public opinion has been alerted, thanks also to the work of various realities, such as yours, which monitor these problems at a global scale. These are not matters to tackle now and again just to quieten consciences. Every person must collaborate to solve this plague of our day.” (M.F.D’A.) (Agenzia Fides 7/4/2004; righe 74; parole 1116)
