Children missing from refugee centers
Posted by africanpress on January 28, 2008
Eleven children disappeared from asylum centers in Norway last year, and immigration officials fear they may be victims of human trafficking. Security measures are being boosted.
The teenagers disappeared from this asylum center in Bærum, west of Oslo. PHOTO: JAN TOMAS ESPEDAL |
Four teenage boys who suddenly vanished from an asylum center in Bærum may have been “sold” by organized crime leagues now suspected of arranging their travel to Norway.
Officials at Norway’s immigration agency UDI (Utlendingsdirektoratet) told newspaper Aftenposten this week that they have reason to believe the boys have been forced into prostitution or other slave labour.
UDI officials called both police and child protective agencies in Norway when the boys failed to return from a 24-hour leave. Three of the four disappeared shortly after arrival at the asylum center, before they had their first interview in the asylum application process.
“They may have moved on to another country, or they could be part of some sort of organized network in Norway, or they may be exploited,” said Siri Rustad of UDI.
Two years ago, Norwegian and Swedish authorities cracked a human trafficking league that allegedly victimized young Chinese women. Two arrests were made, but the young Chinese victims who disappeared from asylum centers were never found.
Lifted and published by Korir, API africanpress@getmail.no. source.AftenpostenEng
