Shocking revelations have emerged that highly organised Nigerian gangs are smuggling children into Ireland for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
Europol have stated that Ireland is among a number of countries they claim has Nigerian gangs trafficking children into the EU primarily via Spain and Italy which have borne the brunt of the migrant crisis coming from Africa. The gangs then move the children to different EU states to be used in as enslaved prostitutes.
These Nigerian child sex trafficking gangs are thought to be operating in 12 EU states, including Ireland and are divided into cells which are run by women.
It’s understood that some young women in particular have been promised jobs in Ireland while others have been kidnapped with their families held as ransom.
The report by Europol states:
“The typical Nigerian criminal group is not hierarchically structured but rather organised into cells, among which female suspects usually execute the core business [recruitment and exploitation], with male members having supportive roles,”.
Ireland is considered by human traffickers to be an easy target as it has some of the weakest border controls and immigration enforcement in the world.
The age of the girls being smuggled into Ireland for sexual exploitation ranges from 17 to some as young as five or under according to the report.
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