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Lured to Denmark and exploited as sex slaves and thieves
Lucie Rychla
February 18th, 2016
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This article is more than 8 years old.
Some 19 children have been trafficked to Denmark since 2009 and forced into prostitution and theft
New figures from the Centre against Trafficking reveal that since 2009, some 19 children have been trafficked to Denmark where they have been forced into prostitution, theft and forced labour, reports Metroxpress.
The average age of the children was 16, but one boy was only 12 years old.
Most of the children were trafficked from Nigeria, Romania and Morocco.
Easily deceived
Nine of the trafficked children were exploited for stealing purposes, three were forced to clean or work in a restaurant and seven were forced into prostitution.
According to Hanne Mainz, a consultant at the National Board of Social Services, it is easier to lure and deceive vulnerable children than adults.
“Some may be loyal to and dependent on their exploiters, and then it is difficult to get them to talk about what they have been exposed to,” Mainz told Metroxpress.
Sent back home
Trafficked children are sent back to their home country in co-operation with local social services.
However, the Danish organisation HopeNow, which focuses on empowering trafficked people, argues the children should instead be offered asylum in Denmark.
“There may always be a risk of re-trafficking. It might have been the child’s family who consciously or unconsciously sold the child,” Michelle Mildwater, the founder of HopeNow, told Metroxpress.
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