Authorities investigate trafficking routes of children passing through Portugal

**Max** Sat Oct 21, 2017 3:58 am

http://observador.pt/2017/09/27/autoridades-investigam-rota-de-trafico-de-criancas-que-passa-por-portugal/

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Authorities investigate trafficking routes of children passing through Portugal

9/27/2017, 8:16197

The SEF is investigating a new child trafficking route that uses Portugal as the gateway to the Shengen space. Since March, five children have been detected at Lisbon airport.

The Unit Anti-Trafficking in Persons Direction Center for Research on Immigration and Borders Service (SEF) is investigating a new route of child trafficking using Portugal as a gateway to the Schengen space, advancing the issue Wednesday of the Diário de Notícias.

Minors, from African countries south of the Sahara in English or French, are accompanied by adults who bring "good" or true documents. The destination is not Portugal, but other countries like France or Germany.

According to the newspaper, the SEF Anti-Trafficking Unit has detected, since March, five children in these conditions, with false documents, at Lisbon airport. In one case, it was possible to find out who the parents were, but in the others it was not possible to determine the origin of the children.

"It is difficult to know who they are, the true identity, even because some were no longer with their parents," SEF source told the newspaper, adding that there are suspected minors "sold" by the families themselves as slaves. The minors detected by the Anti-Trafficking Unit were all institutionalized.

The SEF believes that the number of children entering Europe through Portugal may have been higher , but it has no evidence . In addition, cooperation by the countries of origin has been little or none, which makes research difficult. "The geographical location of Portugal and the fact that the old routes are already identified is driving these criminal networks to open new routes, which includes Lisbon," said the same source. The Diário de Notícias also states that children may be used for sexual exploitation, employment or domestic servitude.