According to Europol, more than 10,000 migrant children may have disappeared after arriving and registering in Europe over the past two years. It is suspected that many of these children are being forced into slavery and sexual exploitation by criminal gangs, who are intentionally targetting migrant children. Europol said that not all of the 10,000 missing children are likely to have been exploited, but some might have been passed on to family members.
One NGO worker in Italy noted that there is a very short window of time to provide unaccompanied minors arriving in Europe with a safe haven. They are permitted outside of reception centres during the day, when they easily fall prey to organised crime or individuals looking to exploit them, he said. In the Italian centres, there are not enough translators who speak the children's languages or staff trained at spotting victims of exploitation.