On the recruitment of children by organised crime
B-10-2026-0275
on behalf of the PPE Group · Rapporteur: Caterina Chinnici, Javier Zarzalejos, Lena Düpont, Isabel WiselerLima, Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz, Ana Miguel Pedro
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Parliament condemns the recruitment and exploitation of children by organised criminal and terrorist groups, calling for a comprehensive EU response focused on prevention, protection, and reintegration.¶¶ It urges the Commission and Member States to prioritise this issue in the forthcoming EU action plan, revise rules on organised crime and pyrotechnics, enforce digital legislation, and improve data collection and cooperation.¶¶¶ Children involved should be treated primarily as victims, with child-friendly justice and reintegration programmes, and attention to girls and vulnerable groups.¶¶¶
Key points
- Strongly condemns the recruitment and exploitation of children by organised criminal and terrorist groups in all forms, both online and offline.¶
- Calls on the Commission and Member States to make prevention and responses a priority in the forthcoming EU action plan, including early-warning mechanisms and youth-centred approaches.¶
- Calls on the Commission to address child recruitment in the upcoming legislative proposal on organised crime, including aggravating circumstances and a new common definition of 'criminal organisation'.¶
- Calls for a legislative proposal to revise the EU Pyrotechnics Directive and for intensified cooperation with Europol and Eurojust, especially in ports and urban areas.¶
- Urges recognition of drug-related intimidation as a recruitment pathway and incorporation of interagency responses in national strategies.¶
- Urges a prevention-first approach with integrated, child-centred, gender-responsive, trauma-informed systems, and highlights the role of sport and community organisations.¶
- Calls for enhanced cross-sectoral cooperation and public-private partnerships to protect children offline and online.¶
- Stresses the online dimension and enforcement gap; calls for robust enforcement of the Digital Services Act and strengthening platform obligations, including through the Digital Fairness Act.¶¶¶
- Welcomes Europol's Operational Taskforce GRIMM and calls for joint investigations targeting recruiters and high-level actors, not just minors.¶
- Emphasises that children involved must be treated primarily as victims, with child-friendly justice and reintegration programmes, and recalls that detention should be a last resort.¶¶
- Urges improved interoperable data collection and sharing, fully compliant with data protection rules.¶
- Calls for scaling up evidence-based initiatives like STRIVE Juvenile, stronger international cooperation, attention to vulnerable children, addressing root causes, and funding for hotlines and civil society.¶¶¶
Who is affected
- Children recruited by organised crime, who should be treated primarily as victims and receive protection and reintegration support.¶¶
- Organised criminal and terrorist groups, which are condemned and targeted for investigation and prosecution.¶¶
- Online platforms, which face enforcement of existing obligations and potential new measures to protect minors.¶¶
- Member States and EU institutions, called on to adopt new policies, legislation, and cooperation measures.¶¶¶
- Civil society organisations, sports associations, and educational programmes, which may receive increased financial support.¶
Figures and deadlines
- 821 high-risk criminal networks active in the EU, generating an estimated EUR 92-188 billion in annual revenue.¶
- Minors involved in more than 70 % of illegal market activities.
- Criminal networks exploiting children as young as 12 years old.
- 22 % of identified trafficking victims in western and southern Europe forced into criminal activities.¶
- Financial incentives ranging from a few thousand euro to as much as EUR 20 000 for killings.¶