Europol has released a report stating that highly organised Nigerian gangs are smuggling children into Ireland for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
The European policing body says that the Nigerian gangs are 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.
Some girls are lured with promises of jobs while young children may be kidnapped.
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.
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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