TIRANA, Oct. 22 – There has been an alarming increase in the number of Albanian child slaves forced to work in the United Kingdom, according to a report this week in The Guardian newspaper.
Albanians are the second largest exploited juvenile group in the UK, the prestigious newspaper reported, citing children charity organization Barnardo’s, which suggests that a growing number of children from Albania traveling to the UK, often voluntarily, end up being exploited.
“Within the past year, there has been an increase in the number of trafficked children from Albania whom we support across our services,” said Javed Khan, Barnardo’s chief executive.
He added some were used as forced labor, often on building sites, but most were exploited for criminal activities.
Answering questions about the article, British Ambassador in Tirana Nicholas Cannon said the UK authorities were indeed investigating the report.
“We are working closely here with the proper institutions and the police to stop this phenomenon,” Cannon said at a meeting in Durres’ Aleksander Moisiu University, where anti-trafficking efforts were discussed at a forum.
Many of the children involved are boys 15 to 18 in age, according to reports.
The ambassador said parents that allowed minors to leave for other countries without families were committing a criminal offense – child abandonment.
He added human trafficking is a much wider and growing problem, and it was a symptom of serious social-economic problems.
Cannon added that in addition to the involvement of authorities, there was a need for more information and integration of vulnerable communities.
