Child trafficking an €8bn industry

MILLIONS of children around the globe are being trafficked annually in an illegal industry worth €8 billion a year, rivalling the trade in illicit drugs and arms, the UN said yesterday.

UN Children’s Fund executive director Carol Bellamy urged politicians worldwide to ensure the protection of children by instituting laws that stop their exploitation and abuse.

“Parliamentarians have a choice,” Ms Bellamy said at the launch of a handbook to help politicians combat child trafficking that coincides with the Inter-Parliamentary Association’s annual meeting in the Philippines capital, Manila. “They can make decisions that ensure the protection of children, or they can make decisions that leave children vulnerable to being exploited and abused.”