Switzerland Federal Police: Are children begging victims of trafficking?

24 Jan 2009 |

Bern, Switzerland: The Swiss Coordination Unit against the Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrant (KSMM, see the fact sheet here) has organized a discussion about child begging in Switzerland. This group of specialists wishes to deepen the topic, which is quit new in Switzerland. After an introduction about child begging and child trafficking in Europe, IOM presented some possible measures and cooperation to fight against this phenomenon. IOM gave the example of children who returned voluntarily from Austria to Romania and Bulgaria in 2002. Dr. Madeleine Eggler explained the medical and psychiatric interim care of these children. She insisted of the fact that every child is unique and lives the begging experience differently. Each child needs a specific care. Finally, Tdh had the opportunity to present his experiences in South Eastern Europe and to give his best practices to protect children victims of trafficking through begging and other street related activities.