Between 8-15 May, Frontex teamed up with Austria, Romania, Europol, Interpol and 44 countries across the world in a global action targeting human trafficking for sexual exploitation, forced begging, and forced criminality. The main objective was to identify, protect and refer victims and potential victims of human trafficking for assistance.
Operation Global Chain, part of EMPACT Joint Action Days, involved a wide range of law enforcement authorities including police, border guard, social and child protection services.
130 000 law enforcement officers checked 1.6 million people, thousands of cars and locations, and monitored more than 8 000 flights and 4 000 border checkpoints. Specific actions targeted the disruption of criminal networks potentially exploiting victims in South America, Asia, Africa, the Western Balkans, and Ukraine.
As part of the operation, Frontex activated all its joint operations in and outside the EU. The agency also shared risk indicators among all participants to help them identify potential victims.
Moreover, Frontex engaged its VEGA Children operation and performed – in cooperation with Frontex’s Consultative Forum and other experts from international organisations, such as the International Organisation for Migration - field visits in selected border check points at land and air borders.
Frontex plays an active role in combatting the THB crime. The agency trains border guards across Europe and runs a number of operations at international airports, too, aimed at detecting and safeguarding victims of trafficking, especially children. Together with THB prevention specialists across Europe, Frontex created a manual for border guards and airport staff to help spot children who may be victims of trafficking.
Children: the most vulnerable victims of an underreported crime
Trafficking in human beings is one of the most profitable forms of organised crime, generating billions of euros for criminal networks. Human traffickers often target the most vulnerable groups, including children. Minors are trafficked for sexual and labour exploitation. Criminals often force children to beg or commit a variety of crimes, such as smuggling illegal goods and petty crime. Child trafficking remains largely underreported. Within the EU, children are mostly trafficked by their relatives. These criminal organisations, connected through large clan networks, operate in several countries and move the children across borders. Minors from non-EU countries can become victims of migrant smugglers collaborating with the adults who accompany the children while pretending to be their relatives or legal guardians.
Selected cases:
Participants:
EU Member States: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
Non-EU countries: Albania, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Colombia, Iceland, Kosovo**, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Philippines, Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam.
** This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
The European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT) tackles the most important threats posed by organised and serious international crime affecting the EU. EMPACT strengthens intelligence, strategic and operational cooperation between national authorities, EU institutions and bodies, and international partners. EMPACT runs in four-year cycles focusing on common EU crime priorities.
