July 30, initiated by the UN, has been established since 2013 as World Day against Trafficking in Persons (“World Day against Trafficking in Persons”), in order to highlight the need for more effective measures to prevent and combat human trafficking.
According to the UN, globally, 1 in 3 victims of human trafficking is a child and the majority of these trafficked children are girls.
According to the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons (GLOTIP) of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) children are twice as likely as adults to experience violence during trafficking , while the exponential growth of online platforms poses additional risks, as children often connect and browse them without adequate security.
The student-volunteers, from the European Student Voluntary Network “YouSmile”, and members of the Children’s Rights Group of the Organization “The Smile of the Child”, had carried out an online survey that indicated the risks that minors face in Social Media and Applications Anonymous chats and more generally on the internet.
Three (3) hypothetical characters were created, played by the students and had an average age of 15 years
88 chats were made, knowing they were talking to a minor, and 51 users (58%) continued the chat, with an average age of 37
14 users (16%) with an average age of 41, sexualized the conversation, grooming or pressured to send photographic material
Of the 14 conversations: in 5 (35%) there was grooming, in 2 (14%) there was pressure to send photographic material of the minor, in 2 (14%) obscene material was sent to the minor and in the remaining 5 (35%) there was sexualization.
In conclusion, 1 in 6 conversations we conducted with adult users, with an average age of 41, sexualized the conversation, or some form of conversation that is offensive to children.
At the same time, according to the Statistics for the First Semester 2024 “The Smile of the Child”:
Handled 83,580 calls to the 4 Support and Helplines (1056, 116000, 116111, 1017)
It supported 571 children involved in trafficking incidents
He proceeded to the field for 126 children, who were in immediate danger
Children can be subjected to various forms of trafficking, including forced labour, crime, sexual abuse and online dissemination of inappropriate images, etc., while some are also recruited into armed groups.
The Organization has constant cooperation with the Office of the National Rapporteur for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, the National Center for Social Solidarity (E.K.K.A.), the Police and Prosecution Authorities, the competent institutional bodies, services and Organizations of Society of Citizens in the field of prevention and combating the phenomenon. The Help and Support Lines are interconnected with the SAWA Help and Support Line in Palestine, a member of the international Child Helpline International (CHI) Network and serves the interpretation of Arabic-speaking persons in our country.
“Smile” is available to the public on a 24-hour basis, free of charge, all year round, on holidays, public holidays and extreme weather events with:
Support & Help Lines available daily, 24 hours a day, with a free call and staffed with Social Workers and Psychologists (National Children’s Hotline SOS 1056, European Hotline for Disappearances 116000, European Children’s Support Hotline 116111, National Hotline for Missing Persons adults 1017)
On-Site Intervention for Children who are in immediate danger with safe transport, accompanied by a Social Worker or Psychologist and their immediate Intervention vehicles, in a protected environment, as well as cooperation with all competent agencies.
Chat 1056 for communication by sending messages
Missing Alert App. Application designed for “Smile” by COSMOTE that enables citizens to contribute in real-time to missing persons searches through an application on their mobile phone, but also to proactively protect children and adults at high risk of disappearance.
GMCNgine: An innovative digital platform where information and photos of missing children are posted, accessed by cooperating agencies and law enforcement authorities, and searched and identified in databases and the deep & dark web. It mobilizes all the competent authorities across borders to locate the children and prosecute the perpetrators. Watch Video here:
Prevention and Awareness Programs approved by the Institute of Educational Policy (IEP) for Students but also for Parents and Guardians and Teachers Associations.
Cooperation with the Ministry of Immigration & Asylum and the Special Secretary for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors.
In the field of preventing and combating trafficking, the Agency actively participates and cooperates with:
The European Commission’s EU Civil Society Platform Against THB (2013)
The Online Platform of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) (2012)
The Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) (Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe-OSCE).
EUAA (European Union Agency for Asylum) and the Advisory Group of Experts on the Vulnerability of Refugees and Migrants, the Committee on Migration of the INGO Conference of the Council of Europe
The International Center for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC)
The WeProtect Global Alliance to end child sexual exploitation online
“Smile” participates in the annual meetings of the Alliance for the Combat of Trafficking in Human Beings (OSCE Alliance for the Combat of Trafficking in Human Beings) in Vienna, in additional meetings on child trafficking, and also in the Human Dimension Meetings on Trafficking in Human Beings co-organized by the OSCE and its Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
“The Smile of the Child” and the ten (10) Action Centers that operate Health Services Center, National Center for Child Abuse and Exploitation, Support & Help Lines (1056, 116111, 116000, 1017) Support Center for Vulnerable Families, Children & of Youth, Care Homes, Center for Internet Safety, Crisis Management Center, Center for Violence and Bullying, National Center for Disappearances of Children and Adults, Smile Academy Education and Training Academy, with its specialized Psychologists and Social Workers, will continue to fight to protect every child so that they can have the Smile they deserve.
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