Published July 21, 2021 at 1:42 pm
Domestic. Sweden has participated in an international effort against the exploitation of children. Several children were found begging – the youngest was 12 years old and two were pregnant children aged 14 and 16.
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All the children who were taken into custody for begging during the operation came from another EU country and had come to Sweden together with relatives, according to the police.
The pregnant girl who was 16 years old had came to Sweden with her husband. The 14-year-old pregnant girl was not yet married, but her future husband remained in his home country. The fourteen-year-old's parents had decided on the marriage and received a sum of money from the future parents-in-law.
The effort was carried out within the framework of the Empact project and in Sweden a total of 49 people were checked outside shops, companies, farms, commercial facilities and other places. The police authority cooperated with the Gender Equality Authority and the Social Services during the inspections.
– Sweden has committed itself to identifying and protecting children who are exploited for a purpose prescribed by human trafficking legislation. The police have seen an increase in children from other countries who are arrested for theft and used to carry weapons or drugs to criminal groups, says Per Englund, police inspector at the National Operations Department, Noa, in a statement.
I The international effort involved a total of 17 EU countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Italy, Croatia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Germany and Austria. Outside the EU, Switzerland and the UK led the operation with the support of Europol.
A total of 92 minor victims of human trafficking were identified, according to a press release.