human trafficking | ΡΟ Π ΤΡ Ο Ν

[Human trafficking is thought to generate over $30 billion worldwide. In the U.S., the FBI estimates that over 100,000 children are victims of sex trafficking. Foster children are particularly vulnerable to falling victim to sex trafficking and other forms of human trafficking.

60% of all child sex trafficking victims have histories in the child welfare system.

Homelessness is a key contributor to trafficking of youth. Foster children who have runaway, aged out of the system, or otherwise find themselves on the streets are a greater risk of being trafficked, particularly in the commercial sex trade. Entry into human trafficking often begins with trading sex for essential items such as food and/or shelter, but can quickly evolve to victimization by organized trafficking operations. In a study conducted in the U.S. and Canada one-fifth of homeless youth were victims of sex trafficking. The issue is compounded by the fact that states do not always report when a foster child is missing, despite provisions in federal law that mandate it. LGBTQ+ youth in the foster system are particularly prone to homelessness due to added stigma and discrimination.]

The Foster Care – Human Trafficking Nexus | HUMAN TRAFFICKING SEARCH

Also, Sex and human trafficking in the U.S. disproportionately affects foster youth | NFYI

Click to access Foster-Care-Report.pdf

AMERICA’S FOSTER CARE SYSTEM IS THE PIPELINE FOR CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING | Waking Times

On January 13, 2015, the European Union Commission (EUC) released a statement that said in 2014 “more than 276,000 migrants illegally entered the EU, which represents an increase of 155 percent compared to 2013.”

[According to a recent report by Amnesty International, at least 23,000 migrants have lost their lives trying to reach Europe since 2000. And the numbers are rising fast, thanks to the conflicts that rage in Syria, Iraq, Libya and elsewhere. This is shaping up to be the worst year in decades for the number of illegal arrivals at Europe’s outposts (see article). From January to July alone around 100,000 undocumented migrants crossed the Mediterranean into Italy, already much more than the record 60,000 who made the crossing in all of 2011. In the same period, the number of illegal migrants arrested by the Greek authorities at the border with Turkey rose by 143%.

Whether they seek shelter from persecution or economic opportunity, illegal migrants are keenest to reach Europe’s richer, northern countries. Many migrants head directly to these countries, often by air, arriving on a legal visa and staying on when it expires. But geography and the economics of migration mean that the most desperate travel by sea and land from Africa and the Middle East. And their first contact with western Europe is on the continent’s periphery—Mediterranean islands like Lampedusa and Malta for the dangerously overcrowded boats from Africa, Greece’s eastern frontier with Turkey for those trekking from Syria and beyond.]

Greece: Illegal Immigration in the Midst of Crisis | MIGRATION POLICY INSTITUTE

Illegal Immigration Energes as New Crisis for Greece and EU | WALL STREET JOURNAL

Europe’s Huddled Masses | THE ECONOMIST

Illegal Migrants Arriving in Greece Triple in 2015 | EURACTIV