Winds of Change.NET: Children of the Stoplights: Part 4

February 11, 2005

Children of the Stoplights: Part 4

by Discarded Lies at February 11, 2005 8:46 AM

This is the featured weekly post from Discarded Lies at Winds of Change.NET. The Children of the Stoplights series is about child trafficking in Europe. Here are parts one, two and three of Children of the Stoplights.

While some of these children are exploited by being forced to work or beg, others are in even worse situations. And if no one is addressing the subject of nine-year-olds begging in the streets, who's looking out for these other children?

A study in Greece from 1995-97 identified almost 2,900 minors in prostitution. More than 200 of them were under 12 years old. Currently more than 40% of the minors in prostitution are from neighbouring or regional countries including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Albania and Iraq.

Law enforcement agencies: the role of the police

The Ministry of Public Order created a self-monitoring unit in response to corruption in local authorities and the active participation of elements of the police in trafficking women.

In the 1990s, there were reports in the media about police officers who were on the payroll of organised crime syndicates involved in trafficking. Between 1995 and 1997, in return for large sums of money, police officers in Athens protected trafficking networks and brothels. This was such a common phenomenon that it finally led to the dismissal of high ranking representatives at the ministry of public order, including the head and deputy head, who were found guilty of participating and offering protection to traffickers.

The daily newspaper ‘Eleftherotypia’ reported that in 2000 and 2001 a committee investigated 103 reports of police involvement in trafficking. Many observers still doubt the willingness of all police officers to crack down trafficking rings.

The continuing complicity and involvement of members of the Greek police is also confirmed by the Panhellenic Confederation of Police Officers and the Ministry of Public Order.

The newly established internal unit is intended to penalise police involvement and catch the “untouchables”. There have been no recent convictions of police officers or other officials in connection with THB. As OKEA member Lazos said in the interview, “the police continued working with a smirk on their faces”.

Prevention and Fight Against Trafficking:Greece

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Comments

#1 from Brian H at 6:03 pm on Feb 11, 2005

I have the solution! Form a clandestine unit that kidnaps and sells the children of the policemen abroad, after suitably pre-abusing them.

#2 from Kai Jones at 6:30 pm on Feb 11, 2005

Makes me think of Orson Scott Card's "Shadow" books--Bean is from a gang of children living on the streets. Wish I could still think of that as science fiction.

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