On the recruitment of children by organised crime

B100276/2026

European Parliament resolution on the recruitment of children by organised crime

(2026/2725(RSP))

− having regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child,

− having regard to UN General Assembly Resolution 79/188 of 17 December 2024 on preventing and countering violence against children by organised criminal groups and terrorist groups in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice,

− having regard to UN Economic and Social Council Resolution 2024/12 of 23 July 2024 on the treatment of children associated with terrorist groups, including children who are recruited and exploited by those groups,

− having regard to the Commission communication of 1 April 2025 on ProtectEU: a European Internal Security Strategy (COM(2025)0148),

− having regard to Europol’s 2025 report entitled ‘EU serious and organised crime threat assessment 2025 – The changing DNA of serious and organised crime’,

− having regard to the forthcoming EU action plan on the protection of children against crime,

– having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas organised criminal and terrorist groups increasingly recruit, radicalise and exploit minors, both online and offline, including through social media, gaming platforms, algorithmic grooming and gamification, for the purpose of committing offences including drug trafficking, weapons offences, cybercrime, intimidation, extortion, online scams and violent acts;

B. whereas minors in the EU, and particularly unaccompanied minors from non-EU countries, are deliberately targeted by criminal organisations because of their vulnerability, susceptibility to manipulation and radicalisation, and, in some cases, the more lenient treatment of minors by criminal justice systems, creating significant social and security challenges for Member States;

C. whereas Europol has identified numerous high-risk criminal networks operating across the EU and has warned that minors are recruited through coercion, manipulation and promises of money, gifts, status or protection, including via digital platforms;

D. whereas the recruitment, radicalisation and exploitation of children by organised criminal and terrorist groups undermine the EU’s internal and external security, fuel criminality and perpetuate cycles of violence and insecurity across generations and society as a whole;

E. whereas effective action requires the dismantling of the adult criminal networks that recruit minors, proportionate accountability for serious or repeated offending, the strengthening of cooperation between law enforcement authorities, judicial authorities, social services and digital platforms, and the confiscation of criminal proceeds;

F. whereas victims of violent offences, drug trafficking, burglaries, intimidation, extortion and urban violence do not experience the harm caused by such offences differently when the perpetrators are minors;

G. whereas some parents or legal guardians may knowingly tolerate, facilitate, ignore or benefit from criminal activities that are carried out by minors under their responsibility;

H. whereas age-verification mechanisms should be strengthened in order to prevent fraudulent claims by individuals falsely declaring themselves to be minors where there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate age;

1. Strongly condemns the recruitment, radicalisation and exploitation of children by organised criminal and terrorist groups and recognises child recruitment as a serious crime against children and a growing security threat that requires comprehensive responses combining prevention, security, justice and child-protection measures;

2. Considers that the recruitment or use of minors for criminal or terrorist purposes must be treated as a particularly serious form of organised crime and terrorist activity and as an aggravating circumstance in all relevant criminal proceedings;

3. Encourages the Member States to assess whether existing legal frameworks adequately address situations in which adults recruit or use minors to commit offences involving drug trafficking, weapons, violent crime, intimidation, extortion, sexual exploitation, cybercrime or terrorism-related activities;

4. Stresses that minors recruited into organised crime may be victims of exploitation, but that this status must not automatically exclude criminal responsibility where serious, violent or repeated offences have been committed;

5. Welcomes the discussions in some Member States on:

(a) ensuring that juvenile justice systems provide for swift, firm and proportionate sanctions for minors involved in serious or repeated criminal offences;

(b) whether the age thresholds and juvenile justice frameworks of the Member States are still appropriate given the current reality of organised crime, particularly regarding minors aged 16 and above who are involved in serious or repeated offending;

(c) examining, in accordance with national legal systems, whether Member States’ existing responses to serious violent offences, organised criminal activities or repeated offending committed by minors aged 16 and above remain appropriate and effective;

(d) assessing the appropriateness of mitigating provisions that are based solely on the perpetrator’s minority in cases involving serious violent crime, organised crime, drug trafficking, weapons offences or repeated offending;

(e) strengthening rules on confiscation and asset recovery where families or third parties have knowingly benefited from the proceeds of crimes committed by minors;

(f) ensuring that parents or guardians who fail to comply with court-ordered supervision, reintegration, attendance or monitoring obligations may face financial or administrative consequences, where compatible with national law;

6. Urges the Member States to prioritise the identification, prosecution and severe punishment of adult recruiters, handlers, family members, gang leaders and intermediaries who use minors as criminal tools;

7. Considers that the responsibility of parents or legal guardians must be taken seriously and calls on the Member States to examine appropriate sanctions, including the review of certain social benefits and allowances or refusal or withdrawal of work permits for parents or legal guardians who knowingly tolerate, facilitate or profit from the repeated criminal activity of minors under their responsibility;

8. Calls for stronger mechanisms requiring offenders and, where appropriate, civilly responsible adults to compensate victims for damage caused by offences committed by minors; stresses that the victims of crimes committed by minors recruited by organised networks must remain at the centre of the legislative and judicial response through improved access to compensation, protection, information and legal remedies;

9. Calls on the Member States to strengthen the use of detention, closed educational facilities, electronic monitoring and strict judicial supervision for minors who are involved in serious or repeated offences linked to organised crime;

10. Calls on Europol to strengthen its work on the recruitment of minors into organised crime, including by examining the role of digital platforms, gaming environments and cross-border gang structures;

11. Calls for stronger action by digital platforms against content, accounts and networks that are used to recruit minors into criminal activity, while respecting fundamental rights and due process; stresses the need to combat the glamorisation online of gang culture, violence, drug trafficking, weapons offences and easy money;

12. Calls for stronger international cooperation with partner countries to address cross-border recruitment networks and prevent the externalisation of criminal exploitation;

13. Rejects any approach that treats all minors who are involved in organised crime solely as passive victims, as this risks weakening deterrence, undermining public trust and encouraging criminal networks to continue exploiting legal loopholes;

14. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Member States, Europol, Eurojust, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Secretary-General of the United Nations.