Children are being recruited as criminals at an 'industrial scale': Europol

Article excerpt

Europol has declared that children are being recruited into criminal enterprises at an "industrial scale," positioning this phenomenon as the single greatest threat facing Europe and beyond. The law enforcement agency's alarming assessment underscores a growing criminal strategy: leveraging minors to evade detection and legal consequences, since youth offenders face lighter sentences. The recruitment happens through grooming, coercion, and exploitation of vulnerable children in economically disadvantaged communities. This industrial-level recruitment represents a fundamental shift in how criminal networks operate, targeting society's most defenseless members and destabilizing law enforcement's ability to combat organized crime effectively.