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Athens could boost trafficking
06/04/2004 11:30 - (SA)
Athens - Increased demand may boost the trafficking of children, primarily Albanians, into Greece during the 2004 Athens Olympics.
"Children-trafficking is highly market-responsive, so it's very probable that supply might increase to meet demand during the Olympics," said Vincent Tournecuillert of the Swiss non-governmental organisation "Terre des Hommes".
Traffickers might aim to profit from the potential market created by the hundreds of thousands of visitors expected to stream into Athens for the August 13-29 Olympics, said Tournecuillert.
Begging
About 3 000 Albanian children are the victims of trafficking to Greece and Italy each year, according to the UN children's fund (Unicef). Once there, they are forced into begging or prostitution.
Nikos Gavalas, of Greek children's rights group Arsis, was concerned that Albanian children would face massive deportations ahead of the Games, as Greek authorities seek to round up any illegal immigrants who may carry out attacks during the Olympics.
Greek police usually deport illegal immigrants aged 12 and above with adults. But from May, Albanian NGOs plan to set up their own border controls on the Greek-Albanian frontier to help expelled Albanian minors.
- AFP
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