Child TraffickingForced Criminality
Forced Criminality/Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE) can be understood as the grooming or exploitation of a child to commit a crime, such as possession of false identity documents, pick-pocketing, shoplifting, burglary, cannabis cultivation, drug transportation and distribution.
Know the indicators
Children who have been trafficked for the purpose of forced criminality may:
- Persistently going missing from school or home and/or being found out-of-area.
- Excessive receipt of texts or phone calls.
- Spending more time online or on their devices.
- Using more than one phone.
- Suddenly acquiring expensive gifts such as items of clothing, money, bicycles / scooters, mobile phones, jewellery - even drugs - and not being able to explain how they got them.
- Having hotel cards or keys to unknown places.
- Being secretive about who they are talking to and where they are going.
- Relationships with controlling older individuals or groups.
- Leaving home/care without explanation.
- Coming home looking dishevelled.
- Suspicion of physical assault or unexplained injuries.
- Carrying weapons.
- Starting or increasing drug use, or being found to have large amounts of drugs on them.
- Starting or increasing alcohol use.
- Loss of interest in school and significant decline in performance.
- Using sexual, gang, drug-related or violent language you wouldn't expect them to know.
- Meeting with unfamiliar people or associating with a gang.
- Becoming isolated from peers or social networks.
- Self-harm.
- Becoming isolated from peers or social networks.
- Significant changes in emotional well-being.
- Sudden changes in lifestyle.
- Increasingly disruptive or violent behaviour.
- Getting into trouble with the police.
- Be recruited to carry and/or sell illicit drugs.
- Move daily in large groups, over considerable distances, for the purpose of forced begging and criminality.
- Be punished if they do not collect, carry, sell, or steal enough.
Are you worried about a child?
You can report anonymously by calling the
Garda Confidential Hotline or emailing Blue Blindfold
1800 666 111or
